VECs warn of pic-phone bullies

CAMERA phones in schools can be a “lethal weapon” and used as a tool for bullying, a conference heard yesterday.

Vocational school managers are to set up a task force on the use of camera phones and make recommendations to the Department of Education and Science on a code of practice for their use in schools.

Mobile phones are useful but camera phones have the potential to contribute to bullying and harassment of pupils, particularly in the context of changing rooms, delegates gathered for the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) annual conference heard yesterday.