With each school year, comes new rules. Like in the early 2000’s when metal detectors and bag checks were implemented in the school, or when hats and hoods were banned. This year… no phones. For some students, this was enough for them to do online school. As much as many wouldn’t like to admit, phones are addictions. Social media and other apps have stopped kids from listening to teachers, learning material, and finishing assignments in class. The solution? Yondr pouches. Each student was assigned their own Yondr pouch to put their phone in each morning and lock it up the whole day. At bag checks, the security guards will make sure you have your phone locked in the pouch and if it isn’t, they take your phone and keep it in the office all day.
Peoria Public Schools bought 9,200 Yondr pouches and spent more than $245,000 dollars on them. Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat said “The implementation has been tough. We have not been able to do that well 100% of the time.” Some quick facts about Yondr pouches and their effectiveness are listed below…
Student academic success rate increased up to 6.27%
Students in Grades 11 and 12 saw the highest potential for academic improvement, including a 38% increase in the probability of passing grades in academically focused classes while Grades 6-12 saw a 14.9% increase.
Average monthly behavioral referrals decreased 44%
Of course, students have found ways around the Yondr pouches and how to hide their phones without getting caught. Examples of this include putting calculators instead of phones inside their pouch, hiding their phone in lunchboxes, or even putting it in their shoe. For some students, they can’t go a day without their phone due to addiction; for others, they don’t get on it all day but simply don’t like having it locked up in case of an emergency. With 23 school shootings across the country in 2024 alone, students and parents are concerned with having no direct contact in case of emergency.
Theresa Bartelme, IB senior, enthusiastically tells me she hates the YONDR pouches, stating “no phone=me sad.”
Lydia Lynn, IB senior, tells me in an interview, “I love the Yondr pouches, and I noticed not being on phones brings the school closer to each other and allows for engaging conversations instead of hiding behind a screen.”
As the year progresses, I am looking forward to seeing Richwoods data and how the Yondr pouches have affected homework and test grades. With technology on the rise, it will be interesting to see how many years this will last and if any other implications will be put in place.
Sources-
Central Illinois Proud- Peoria Public Schools board to buy 9,200 Yondr Pouches for phone-free schools
