Is Your Cell Phone Going to Jail?

In July, Governor Glen Youngkin issued an executive order “establishing cell phone-free education in Virginia’s K-12 Public Schools.” As a result of Yougnkin’s policy, some Virginia school districts, such as Fairfax, Hopewell, and Danville, started the school year by implementing Yondr Pouches.

Yondr pouches are magnetic bags that hold a student’s phone until a teacher or administrator releases it with an unlocking mechanism. They first became available in 2014, but have recently been implemented in Virginia as a result of the new policy. 

According to the company’s website, “83% of schools using Yondr have seen an increase in student engagement in the classroom.”

The pouches allow teachers and administrators to essentially “lockdown” students’ phones in a pouch, making sure they are not accessible during school even though the phone is still in the possession of the student. 

“If they work, the students wouldn’t have their phones and wouldn’t be tempted,” said science teacher Jennifer Thomas. “Teachers would be able to feel safer without worrying about cheating.”

Some teachers like the idea of requiring students to put down their phones and it is certainly not a new topic of debate. According to the National School Safety and Security Services, phone usage in school has been a conversation since 2001. 

Junior Graceanne Cloud has mixed feelings about Yondr Pouches. 

“I think that it would help get students off their phones, [but] students would find loopholes,” said Cloud, who also criticized the idea as unsafe. “If there was an intruder, then you wouldn’t be able to talk to [your] parents.” 

While many pros and cons go along with the implementation of Yondr pouches, Virginia Beach City Public Schools is not currently using them. Can it be assumed that as long as students follow the rules and keep their phones away during classes, our cell phones should remain free? 

Not necessarily. 

Younkin released further guidance on his cell phone policy last week including a “bell to bell” language that suggests students should not be using their phones at lunch or during class changes. This language further increases the chance that more districts around the state, including our own, will implement some form of “cell phone jail” in the near future.