Call for pupils' mobile phones ban

11:46am Thursday 2nd August 2007

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SCHOOLS are being urged to take preventative action to stop their teachers becoming victims of cyberspace bullying.

Karen Hopwood, Bolton representative for the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), called for the law regarding the posting of "defamatory" statements on the internet to be made clearer.

Mrs Hopwood said schools should ban mobile phones from the classroom to stop footage filmed at schools being uploaded on internet sites, such as YouTube.

Her call comes amid growing concern over images of attacks and bullying being posted on the internet.

Mrs Hopwood urged schools to take strong disciplinary action against pupils found to be posting defamatory statements on the internet.

She said: "Mobile phones are being used to film teachers in the classroom and we have had members who have been attacked by pupils being filmed on phones."

She said internet footage had led to some teachers being subject to disciplinary procedures.

"Parents see a snippet of something that has happened. This snippet is completely out of context, but can lead to teachers being disciplined," said Mrs Hopwood.

"Schools need to take action to try to prevent abuse of phones. There is an inconsistency among schools as to how they deal with this.

"Some take it seriously, others do not. Some pupils are suspended, others are not."

Mrs Hopwood said the law also needed to be tightened up.

"These images are defamatory but there is no real legal redress," she said. "The problem is that some of the sites are American so it is even more difficult to seek redress on these sites."