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Parent Letter Template: Announcing a Phone-Free School Day
A parent letter about a school phone policy works best when it says what is changing, when, why, and exactly how families reach their child in an emergency. Send it at least a month before the start date and copy the template below.
Dear parents and carers, From [start date], [School] will be phone-free from the first bell to the last. Students may still bring a phone to school for the journey there and back, but it will be switched off and [stored in a locked pouch the student keeps / kept in a locker / handed in] for the whole school day, including breaks and lunch. This applies to smartwatches and other connected devices too.
Why we are doing this: [Our staff, students and governors / board] have seen how phones affect concentration, friendships and behaviour during the day. [Name any national, state or provincial rule that now requires it.] Schools that have moved to a full-day rule report more conversation at lunch, fewer incidents filmed and shared, and less time spent by teachers on enforcement. We want school to be a place where students give each other their full attention.
Reaching your child in an emergency: please call the school office on [number]. We will get a message to your child straight away, just as we do during exams. If you need to collect your child early, the office will arrange it. In a whole-school emergency, staff follow our safety plan and keep families informed through [text alerts / email / app]. Students with medical needs that depend on a phone, such as a glucose monitor, or with a learning plan that includes a device, will have an agreed exemption. Please contact [name] to arrange it.
What happens if the rule is broken: [describe proportionate consequences, e.g. the phone is held at the office until the end of the day; repeated breaches mean a parent collects it]. We will hold a parent information session on [date] at [time], and you can send questions to [email]. Thank you for your support. [Name], [Title]. Before The Internet supplies lockable pouches that let students keep their phone with them, locked, all day, which many families prefer to collection.
Frequently asked questions
When should schools send the parent letter?
At least four weeks before the policy starts, with a reminder the week before and an information session parents can attend.
How do parents contact a child during a phone-free school day?
Through the school office, which passes on messages straight away. Put the office number in the letter.
Should the letter mention exemptions?
Yes. Say that students with documented medical or learning needs will have an agreed exemption, and name who to contact.
Related reading
Phone-free schools toolkit · Board memo template: school phone policy · Bell-to-bell school phone policy template · How to roll out phone pouches in a school
Written by the team at Before The Internet, a Toronto-based phone-free company that rents lockable phone pouches for events across North America and sells them to schools and venues worldwide, shipping purchases to any country.
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