Lake Highlands - Lakewood | February 2023

Students put their cellphones into the Yondr pouch ahead of entering campus.

Students lock the pouch as they enter and leave their phones there until the end of the day.

USING THE POUCHES As students enter the school, they are required to secure their phone in a Yondr pouch that locks at a designated gate. Students keep the pouches with them throughout the day.

As students leave school, they unlock the bag at a base station to retrieve their phones.

SOURCE: YONDRCOMMUNITY IMPACT

some type of policy that places guide- lines or restrictions on their responsi- ble use, according to Brown. “While expectations vary from community to community, the pur- pose of those policies is to avoid dis- tractions in the classroom,” he said. The RISD board took steps to begin curbing cellphone use when it agreed unanimously to amend the district’s policy during an Aug. 11 meeting. In the modied student code, the added district guidelines outline new potential violations for cell- phone use during the school day, according to district ocials. The district’s updated guidelines state authorized employees are allowed to conscate cellphones or other electronic devices that are mis- used during the school day. The stu- dent’s parents are allowed to retrieve a conscated device after receiving notication from the district, while students may retrieve their phone at the end of the school day. In addition, disciplinary action can be applied to students who have their phones conscated. Community feedback Louise Boll, Forest Meadow Junior High parent-teacher association president, said her conversations with Principal Susan Burt have con- veyed there are fewer behavioral issues and there is more learning

happening under the pilot program. “It took some getting used to, but I feel like everyone has gotten used to the new norm,” Boll said via email. “Policing cellphones was such a large part of the admin team that now they

favor of the updated policy and the use of the Yondr pilot to enforce it with many saying both new phone policies have led to more than 10 minutes of added time for learning in their classes. “I think

of the Yondr system, according to the survey. One of the major concerns expressed by students and parents was about safety and communicat- ing during an emergency situation. “At rst, parents and students were a little concerned regarding direct communication, but every teacher has a cellphone for emergencies, and students are on their computer all day and able to email for nonemer- gencies,” Boll said. Gustafson said Yondr has instructed teachers on the best way to handle cellphone use during a cri- sis, prioritizing getting to a safe posi- tion before allowing communication to parents. The company emphasized to par- ents that every school has an emer- gency preparedness protocol. “We [are used to] having that cellphone in our hand so we can continually communicate between students and parents,” said Joseph Miniscalco, RISD executive director of student services, during a Nov. 3 board meeting. “Having that feeling of having an immediate communica- tion [between students and parents] still exists, so we need to address that going forward.”

are able to focus on all the other things that make For- est Meadow excellent.” Boll said the rollout of the program and equip- ment main- tenance have helped par- ents be more comfortable.

it is signi- cant that we can give time back to our teachers who I think are over- worked and underappreci- ated,” Trustee Eric Eager said during a Nov. 3 meet- ing. “That is a large amount

POLICING CELLPHONES WAS SUCH A LARGE PART OF THE ADMIN TEAM THAT NOW THEY ARE ABLE TO FOCUS ON ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT MAKE FOREST

MEADOW EXCELLENT. LOUISE BOLL, FOREST MEADOW JUNIOR HIGH PARENTTEACHER ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

According to a districtwide sur- vey, 83% of teachers said they have observed fewer disciplinary issues regarding phones in the classroom with the new enforcement policy. In addition, 94% of teachers said they are in support of the cellphone-free environment policy. Teachers at Forest Meadow said the implementation of the Yondr pilot program made enforcing the updated phone policy less stressful with 72% strongly agreeing students are more attentive in the classroom, according to the survey. A majority of teachers were in

of time that we’re giving back [to teachers] to help our kids and to help their education.” Despite positive feedback, there were also concerns from both sta and the community about the Yon- der program. According to the sur- vey, 55% of parents cited concerns over it. In the survey, parents said they were worried about the cost of the Yondr system going districtwide. Parents and teachers suggested continuing to adjust the implementa- tion of the policy before considering any additional changes or expansion

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LAKE HIGHLANDS LAKEWOOD EDITION • FEBRUARY 2023