A dozen students were kicked out of their high school in Hebei province for bringing or using mobile phones at school, the Beijing News reported on Monday.

Hebei Cangzhou No 1 High School said it did so because it wants to "provide a healthy and good environment for all students to study".

"I cannot accept that my child was kicked out for just using a cellphone," a student's father, who was known only by the surname Ji, was quoted as saying.

According to Ji, his child was caught using the phone when calling home during a break and was asked to transfer to another school.

A spokesperson with the education authority in Cangzhou has confirmed the incident, adding that it has started an investigation into the incident.

The school defended itself in a statement that some of the 12 students were caught doing "harmful things", such as playing music with a cellphone, taking photos of others secretly and using it as a cheating tool during examinations.

The school made the decision to "protect the interests of the most students".

But the 12 students' parents argued that the school, which has more than 6,000 students, had allowed students to use custom-made cellphones to call parents at designated periods of time with the cooperation of a local telecommunications company.

A teacher at the school was quoted saying that the school later banned cellphone use, because the school found the telecommunications company failed to control cellphone signals.

The news has stirred a discussion about whether it is reasonable to kick students out for using cellphones.

Some education experts were quoted saying the punishment was too harsh and has violated educational regulations. But others said it's good for students to study without being distracted by cellphones.