Students attending Connally Junior High and Connally High School will be required to seal their cell phones away during the school day this year. The change in policy, which is listed in the student handbook, was accepted by the CISD school board during their meeting on July 27.
The cell phones will be magnetically sealed away in pouches provided through a partnership between the district and Yondr, a California-based technology company that specializes in creating phone-free spaces. Each student will have their own pouch for their device(s) and will keep the sealed pouch on their person throughout the day.
“This may seem like an overly strict protocol, but we are confident that it is a necessary one,” CHS Principal Hermann Pereira said. “We have every faith that our students will benefit from this.”
Research has shown that cell phones contribute to a wide variety of problems that negatively impact the learning environment. Studies indicate that repeated cell phone use in adolescence can lead to memory impairment, lack of focus, and poor quality of mental health.
“Cell phones do more damage than just providing a constant distraction in the classroom,” CHS Associate Principal Demetrius Ellis said. “They can provide opportunities for students to engage in academic dishonesty, bully one another, or access material that is inappropriate or harmful.”
The new protocol will call for students to seal their phones in their school-provided Yondr pouches at the beginning of the school day. Students will keep their devices on their person throughout the day and will be given the opportunity to unseal them prior to leaving at dismissal time.
“Students will be allowed to keep their Yondr pouch with them at all times,” CJH Principal Annie Connor said. “The only circumstance in which a student would not have their device on their person would be if they have to turn it into the office for violating the policies that are stated in our handbook.”
All CISD campuses utilize a one-to-one educational model. Each student is checked out a school-provided Chromebook or iPad at the beginning of the school year that they can use for classwork and assignments as necessary.
“Every student at Connally has access to a wealth of technological resources,” CISD Director of Technology Kevin Tye said. “This summer, we bought new cases and coverings to keep the devices safe. The new cell phone policy will not provide any disruption in learning or instruction.”
Connally ISD is not the only district that has revised its policy regarding cell phones in recent years. Yondr has contracts with schools of all sizes throughout the state of Texas, and recently partnered with the La Vega Independent School District to implement a similar procedure.
“We have seen an increasing number of discipline and academic issues related to cell phone use during the school day,” CISD Superintendent Jill Bottelberghe said. “It is apparent that these problems negatively impact a student on multiple levels. They hurt the overall educational experience.”
Parents will still be able to contact their student as needed by calling the front office of either campus. Campus secretaries and administrators will connect calls to students as necessary.
“All of the guidance that we have received from local, state, and national safety organizations has been clear: cell phones often make crisis situations worse,” Bottelberghe said. “This is not a policy that prevents parents from contacting their students to share important information. It is one that gives students the opportunity to focus on truly being present and attentive in the learning environment.”
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To read the full 2023-2024 Student Handbook, click here.