(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 29 - Unions have protested against a move by a head teacher in the southern city of Caserta to ban the use of cellphones not only by students but also by staff on grounds they are a distraction to teaching, Il Mattino reported Wednesday.
    The objections concern the requirement to leave the cell phone "in a special container" before entering the classroom, with opponents slamming what they consider to be generalized and indiscriminate ban, when there are tools to prevent incorrect individual behavior.
    Antonella Tafuri, headmistress of the 'Formicola, Liberi, Pontelatone" comprehensive school in Caserta, issued the ban following "several regrettable reports concerning the entire school staff" on grounds cell phones are "an element of distraction for themselves and others".
    "It is known that students are obliged not to use cell phones in the classroom," Tafuri told Il Mattino.
    "This is a rule that should apply all the more to adults, who should be even more upright in setting a good example." Teachers' unions Gilda and Cgil scuola have said that they will challenge the ban. (ANSA).