A Bradford teaching union official has backed a call for mobile phones in schools to be branded "potentially offensive weapons".
Union leaders speaking at the NASUWT's annual conference said more teachers were being harassed and bullied online, but that many schools were ignoring the problem.
They want mobile phones classed as potentially offensive weapons and a ban on derogatory comments about staff being posted on websites.
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Earlier this month the Telegraph & Argus reported that police were investigating video footage that appeared to show Bradford schoolchildren attacking each other which had been posted on popular website YouTube.
Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus from this year's conference in Birmingham, Pam Milner, NASUWT Bradford branch secretary, said she was fielding "more and more" calls from teachers throughout the district upset about derogatory comments being made online by pupils.
"On a daily basis stories are being put up on sites maligning teachers alongside blogs calling teachers every name under the sun," said Mrs Milner.
"We are determined to do something about it. It is on the rise.
"Children have so much technical awareness now but there is no legislation saying this is just not acceptable."
Mrs Milner added Bradford teachers now had to face seeing footage of them dealing with bad behaviour from children being placed on the internet.
"I will not go into specific examples but I have fielded more than ten calls alone on this from staff in Bradford."
She backed a call made by the NASUWT to classify mobile phones as potentially offensive weapons - which could lead to them being banned from schools - as other weapons are.
"A knife can hurt the body but a mobile phone can destroy someone's reputation which can be just as bad," she said.
"If there was some way in which mobile phones could be taken out of circulation in schools that would go a long way to helping.
"Prospective teachers are being put off the profession because of this.
"There are some schools where management are playing the ostrich and don't want to accept this is happening."
Schools Secretary Ed Balls told delegates at the conference yesterday that the recently-established "cyber bullying taskforce" for England would seek ways to stop pupils targeting teachers.
Mr Balls said he wanted cyber bullying of teachers to be regarded as a "serious disciplinary offence".
"We already give schools advice on the practical measures they can take to tackle bullying, including guidance on dealing with cyber bullying," he said. "But I want to go further."
Councillor David Ward, Bradford Council's Liberal Democrat group education spokesman, said: "I cannot see the need for mobile phones in schools at all but I can see the need for them outside school. But a pen could be classed as an offensive weapon if it's used inappropriately.
However, Coun Ward added that there was an attitude among staff at some schools that if something happened outside their premises it was nothing to do with them.
Coun Ward said: "Now they are saying all this is happening outside schools and we want something done about it. They cannot have it both ways.
"Parents have some responsibility for what goes on in schools and schools have some responsibility for what goes on in the home."
Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council's Labour group education spokesman, said he did not believe cyber-bullying would be stopped by banning mobile phones from schools.
Posted by: Nahim, bradford on 6:01pm Wed 26 Mar 08
todays kids just wont listen to teachers since we have goverment who says you can't hit kids, when in fact kids do need smacking, even use cains if you have, now days kids beat the teacher. than we have some stupit parrents who dont bring kids up with manners, i blame the parrents, than stupit MP's when they are busey claiming Expenses when they could change the rules for teacher to beat any child who don't behave.
todays kids just wont listen to teachers since we have goverment who says you can't hit kids, when in fact kids do need smacking, even use cains if you have, now days kids beat the teacher. than we have some stupit parrents who dont bring kids up with manners, i blame the parrents, than stupit MP's when they are busey claiming Expenses when they could change the rules for teacher to beat any child who don't behave.
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