Private schools in Abu Dhabi prevent teachers from communicating with students via phone and messaging programs during the distance learning period

Private schools in Abu Dhabi banned direct communication between teachers and students during the distance learning period via personal phones, messaging applications, or personal email. Schools have identified three reasons for allowing communication between teachers and parents during this period, including: a student missing three or more classes in a week, a well-being concern, or an indication of academic risk.

The schools indicated in letters sent to the students’ families, which Emirates Today reviewed, that according to the new distance learning policy issued by the Department of Education and Knowledge, the official channels for communicating with students include: school email and educational platforms such as Teams, Canvas, Toddle, and others.

Schools may not communicate with students via their mobile phones through calls, text messages, or any public platforms, or social media such as WhatsApp, Signal, etc., while the official channels for communicating with parents include: phone, text messages, email, or through an official school platform (such as iSAMS, ClassDojo, Toddle, etc.), noting the need for the school to adhere to applying the no-attendance protocol to unjustified absences from individual classes.

The messages stated that communication with the parent takes place only after the school has exhausted all its follow-up channels, which includes, for example, sending a message to the student through the school’s official learning platform. The only exception is an emergency related to the student’s health and safety in which the student is potentially in danger, in which the parent will be contacted immediately by telephone.