The safety of students and teachers in schools is at the forefront of public conversations. With fights, shootings and other forms of violence at school, parents and families don’t always know if they’re going to see their loved ones at the end of the day.
When I’m at school, I always have my phone on me or near me, so I know where it is if something happens. In every lockdown situation I’ve been in, the first thing I want to do is message the people I care about just in case it’s the last time I talk to them.
Schools across the nation are implementing YONDR phone pouches, requiring that students put their phones into a pouch so they are unable to get their phone out until the end of the school day when they can unlock the pouch with a large magnet. This means students have no access to communicate with their families if an emergency were to occur.
Photo courtesy of YONDR
While phones can be a distraction to learning, they can also be used as a form of communication. In recent shootings and lockdown events, students have sent their families what they thought would be their last “goodbyes” and “I love yous.”
With no guarantee that I will be home at the end of the school day, it’s important to me that students have access to their phones, at least giving students the ability to communicate immediately during situations of school violence.
At our school, students’ phones shouldn’t be “seen, heard, or accessed for any reason during class time,” according to the student handbook; with the first offense students will have the phone confiscated and have to pick it up at the end of the day, when students reach the fourth offense students will receive a suspension and have a parent meeting. Students have the opportunity to check their phones during any point in the day that’s not during class. This method is effective for students who have a recurring problem with cell phone usage while still allowing students to keep their phones with them throughout the day.
I am glad to be in a district that does not use YONDR pouches, and I hope they never move in that direction.
