BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Tapestry Charter High School in Buffalo has become one of the latest schools to require their students to put their cell phones in locked pouches during class time.
The school is using “Yondr” pouches, first popularized at concerts and comedy shows.
School leaders are hoping that by making all students lock their phones away all day, they’ll be more engaged in their school work.
“Phones have a place in society. They have a place in kids' lives, but when they're on their phones, we started to question what they're missing,” said Sara Hilligas, the principal at Tapestry Charter.
Here’s how it works at the school:
- Each student is issued their own Yondr pouch. When they get to school in the morning, they are required to lock them inside the pouch which closes using a magnet.
- They carry the phones around with them all day and then after dismissal, students can walk up to an unlocking station by the doors which will open up the pouches.
“It's not supposed to be a punishment,” said assistant principal Milt Sheehan. “This is really to help students excel at what is supposed to be happening here, which is their learning and preparing them for their future outside of this place.”
English teacher Danae Floyd was excited to see how it works with her students.
“I'm really interested to see like what they push themselves to do,” she said.
This is a topic we have discussed a lot recently as New York Governor Kathy Hochul continues to consider a smartphone ban in New York schools.
On July 24, Hochul held her fourth roundtable discussion at the Kenmore Junior/Senior High School as she continues to consider drafting potential legislation that could ban all phones from classrooms across the state.
We have also spoken to other schools and districts that have already implemented a no-phone policy.
Some schools, including Gaskill Preparatory School in the Niagara Falls City School District, do not allow students to bring a phone into the classroom.
Educators in Dunkirk have tried several ideas to get students to stop looking at their devices. The latest is a little pouch next to students' desks where they place their phones throughout instruction.
In Lackawanna, the district is implementing a new "No Cell, Bell to Bell" policy which restricts students from grades 6 to 12 from using cell phones/electronics during the school day.
