An angry Singaporean man is suing the principal of a prestigious school
for confiscating his son’s mobile phone for three months.
According to Straits Times, the secondary school
bans students from using phones during school hours as it considers them
a distraction.
school returns the phone, arguing that it has infringed on property
rights.
The man had lent his iPhone to his son, and it was
confiscated on 21 March after the boy was caught using it during school
hours, according to court documents. The boy was told the phone would be
returned after the three month confiscation period.
The father
has since filed a lawsuit claiming an unknown amount of damages, as well
as a legal injunction demanding the phone be returned immediately while
the case proceeds.
However, the parent’s request to have the phone returned immediately was turned down by District Judge Clement Julien Tan.
phone, as the school rules had made it clear that any student caught
using a phone during school hours will have it confiscated for at least
three months.
He added that returning the phone prematurely may
result in the school being “faced with demands from parents or guardians
for the return of confiscated phones”.
“This may also send a wrong signal to the students that they can use
their mobile phones during school hours with impunity,” the judge said
In the end, the father’s request for the school to return the phone early was denied by the judge.
