Cincinnati Public Schools is aiming to provide cell phone pouches for every student in the district after a pilot program at Hughes STEM High School last year. With Yondr pouches, students no longer have access to their phones during the school day without having to turn them in to teachers or other school staff.
It will be up to the individual clients whether they will make use of this.
Some comedians and musicians use the bags in venues to prevent attendees from taking photos or live streaming their sets during performances. But schools have latched onto the product in recent years as concerns and research grow against youth cell phone use and its impact on learning and mental health.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is urging counties across the state to implement cell phone bans. Akron Public Schools adopted Yondr pouches last year. Some Cleveland schools did the same for children in third through eighth grades. Cincinnati Country Day School in Indian Hill does not use the bags, but implemented a strict no cell phone policy early last school year, with positive feedback from students and teachers alike.
More: A school in Ohio banned cell phones. It turns out that students really like it
Cincinnati Public Schools is not requiring every building in the district to adopt a no-cellphone policy or even use the pouches. But after an encouraging presentation by Hughes Principal Jennifer Williams about Yondr’s positive impact last school year, the board updated its phone policy to allow principals to take students’ phones with them or lock them off during the school day.
“Personally, I would like to see every school do what Hughes did,” Ben Lindy said before the board unanimously approved the updated policy. Board chair Eve Bolton agreed.
Williams answered questions from the committee and Enquirer about the Yondr pouches. See her responses below.
Cyberbullying is common before Yondr pouches existed
Cyberbullying was rampant at Hughes before the school switched to a cellphone-free environment, Williams said. Students messaged each other and filmed other students without their consent. Even kids who weren’t on social media were targets of online bullying.
“We have also experienced false information being shared with students,” Williams said. “Airdropping threats into the building or community that were not real.”
Are Yondr cell phone cases reliable?
Williams said many students learned from YouTube videos how to crack open their bags to get to their phones during the school day.
But Hughes came up with a solution.
At Hughes, children are responsible for returning their bags at the end of the day. If the pouch is broken or a student is caught with their phone during the school day, the student’s phone will be confiscated until an adult family member comes to pick it up.
That inconvenience alone keeps students from trying to outsmart the policy, she said.
How did students react to cell phone crashes?
For the most part, kids were okay with their cellphones being locked, as long as they had them with them during the school day, Williams said.
Occasionally, teachers and staff still found children violating the policy by hiding their cellphones in shoes and other obscure places.
“But it still served the purpose. They were afraid to take out their cell phones during class and during our academic school day,” Williams said.
What was the academic, social impact of telephone restriction?
Hughes saw improved academic performance among freshmen, improved engagement, fewer fights in the hallways and an overall better culture in the school building.
Can children still reach their families during the school day?
Yes.
Families can call the school to talk to their child, and students can go to the office and ask to use the phone to contact their family at any time, Williams said, “no questions asked.”
Students can also use the school phones in their counselor’s office and in the nurse’s office. These offices can also unlock Yondr pouches for students in emergency situations.
How much is it?
To purchase Yondr pouches for all high school students, the district would spend about $500,000. This would be deducted from Title IV funding, which is awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to help improve learning conditions in schools.
“The cost is really nothing for what will be given back in terms of school culture,” interim Superintendent Shauna Murphy said at a recent school board meeting.
The district is still working out the purchase details.
This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati school board supports cell phone ban for students
