Middletown High School uses pouches to enforce cell phone policy (VIDEO)

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MIDDLETOWN- Middletown High School (MHS) is the first school in the region to become a phone-free environment.  In July of last year, the district implemented a cell phone-free policy in the high school, but after months of struggling with compliance, two weeks ago school officials turned to another solution—a locked cell phone bag called the Yondr Pouch to eliminate the distraction of phones in the school.

When students arrive at the school, they must put their phone in the pouch, which is secured shut with a magnetic lock.  During the school day, students are permitted to go to 13 designated areas to unlock the pouch and privately use their phones.  Aside from the designated areas, phones must remain in the secured pouches during the day.  When students leave the building at the end of the day, the pouches are unlocked.

Some parents pushed back against the use of the locking pouches, citing safety and communication concerns.  One mother, who wished to remain anonymous, responded, “I have two kids in MHS and they have phones so that I know where they are and how they are at all times.”  Another parent said she is concerned because if there were an emergency in the school, students wouldn’t have access to their phones to immediately call for help, or contact their family.

Teen cell phone use is limited at Middletown HS.

District officials noted that students do in fact have access to their phones during the school day, and if the need arises to contact a parent or family member, such contact can take place at any time in one of the designated areas.  In response to school safety concerns, district officials met with law enforcement prior to the implementation of the new policy to discuss the impact it would have on school safety.  MHS’s Executive Principal Dr. Lynnette Williams explained that the cell phone-free program has the full support of law enforcement.

“We have two full-time police officers assigned to the building,” said Williams.  “These officers are the primary point of contact during an emergency, along with other trained personnel in the building.  Every classroom has a phone that can dial out directly to 911 as well.”  Williams went on to explain that in the unfortunate case of an emergency in the building, there is no safety benefit to having the 2,600 students who occupy the school communicate instantaneously with parents, family members, and others.  In an emergency situation, police and other first responders in conjunction with school officials would coordinate the response, provide direction, and handle immediate communications to parents.  Additionally, Williams pointed out that each classroom is equipped with a set of safety scissors that can be used to cut open the pouches if necessary.

Students with medical concerns, such as those who use their phone to monitor blood sugar, are provided a pouch that secures only with Velcro, rather than a magnetic lock to allow for instant access to their phone.

Before implementing the policy, district officials conducted over 10 town hall meetings with families both virtually and in-person.  When the bags were distributed, the district held an assembly to inform students about the new policy, and with the help of counselors and other support staff, addressed any anxiety students may experience from not having access to their phones.  Many of the recommendations that were made during the town hall meetings were adopted in the final policy, including designated areas for phone use, and the opening of the student email system to accept outside messages so that parents and guardians can contact students during the day by email.

There is an abundance of research that shows how cell phone overuse, and in particular overuse of social media, impacts teenagers.  In fact, the physiological response can initiate the same brain chemical that is produced when one uses a drug.  Oftentimes, when a teenager recognizes a new follower, sees a new social media like, or receives a positive post comment on their feed, they receive a burst of dopamine.  Similar to the high one experiences with a drug, as cell phone usage increases, so does the individual craving to engage further on the phone.  In an academic environment, this translates into a major distraction.

“Already in a short amount of time, we’ve seen great gains in terms of instruction in the class,” said Williams.  Speaking about the importance of making up for the education loss students experienced during the pandemic, Williams pointed to both the academic and social benefits of removing phones from the school environment.  “Even in the hallway, there is a different feel.  If you go into our cafeteria space, we have reimagined what lunch can look like,” said Willaims.  “You will see not only our scholars communicating with each other, but also with adults in ways that they may not have had the opportunity to, or access to the opportunity to do before, because they may have been so immersed in trying to use the cell phone.”

Over 900 schools worldwide have turned to the Yondr Pouch to address the distraction of phone use during the school day, as well as some schools as close to the region as New York City.  Middletown School officials reported that the Yondr Pouches cost around $46,000 and were paid for using a state grant.

Williams said that speaking with other school administrators around the region, a common concern among her colleagues is the distraction cell phones create during the school day.  She believes that Middletown High School is the first of what will soon be many schools that will transition to a phone-free environment.

Video of how the YONDR Pouch works:




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