Envelopes to stand in for locking cases as school’s phone-free plan hits a bump
August 26, 2024 | By Lisa ScagliottiUPDATE Aug. 28: New phone cases arrive to be distributed on Thursday
Calling it a “powerful” first day of school with the entire student body in attendance and following new cellphone rules, Harwood administrators on Wednesday afternoon emailed families to share the news that the new phone cases have arrived.
The Yondr phone pouches will be distributed to students on Thursday afternoon before dismissal, school principals said. Students are to use the paper envelopes for the day on Thursday.
From Co-Principals Laurie Greenberg and Megan McDonough and Assistant Principal Bethany Turnbaugh:
The first day of 2024-2025 for HUMHS students was filled with energy, connection and learning. During Advisory this morning when reflecting on the impact of a Cell Phone Free school one student shared “I think I’m going to learn how to have a real sustained conversation.”
The cafeteria and Kate’s Garden Hallway was filled with laughter, chatter and even card games. It was a powerful first day.
The Yondr pouches have arrived and will be distributed tomorrow afternoon before dismissal.
This story below was updated with additional details on Aug. 27.
Harwood’s plan to go cellphone-free this school year has hit a slight bump in the road just ahead of school starting this week.
The 2024-25 school year begins Tuesday, Aug. 27, with a delayed start at Harwood Union MS/HS for grades 8, 10-12, to let new 7th graders and freshman acclimate. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
In a memo to families on Monday with various back-to-school reminders, Harwood Union Middle/High School Co-Principals Laurie Greenberg and Megan McDonough shared that the pouches the district has ordered for students to store their phones during the school day have not arrived yet.
The school district is purchasing special cases for students to store phones, Bluetooth earphones and any watches that connect to the internet. Upon entering school until dismissal, students are to place their devices in the case which is sealed with a magnetic closure. Students in 9th through 12th grades are to put the cases in their backpacks or lockers for the day; seventh- and eighth-graders are to put them in their lockers only.
Graphic from Harwood Union MS/HS
“The manufacturers from Yondr have informed us that the delivery of our pouches has been delayed,” the principals wrote. “The bright side is this will give us the opportunity to practice and focus as a community on the routine of putting our phones away before we learn how to use the magnets.”
Schools in the Harwood district begin classes on Tuesday, Aug. 27. At Harwood Middle/High School, seventh- and ninth-graders attend on the first day as a customary transition. The entire 7-12th-grade student body will attend starting on Wednesday, Aug. 28.
School leaders and staff have presented the new routine around the devices as a way to promote more engagement, learning and socialization among students during the school day. They bolstered their presentations with research showing the prevalence of distractions from cellphones in schools and harmful effects on student well-being.
For now, instead of the Yondr pouches, students will be given a manila envelope with their name on it to use until the pouches arrive, school leaders explained. “The same expectations and procedures will be followed with the exception of using the magnets to lock and unlock our pouches,” the principals said.
Consequences for students who don't follow the new phone policy involve turning their phones in to the school office where they would need to be checked in and out, communicating with parents, imposing possible in- or out-of-school suspensions, and making a plan for students to follow.
The communication from the principals also emphasizes that the same expectations regarding phones and consequences will apply when using the envelopes rather than the Yondr pouches. Those are listed in the Harwood Handbook and were shared in an Aug. 9 Family Newsletter. A memo from July 25 outlines the rationale behind the new policy with details listed in a frequently-asked-questions format.
Students who don’t have phones, or who will leave them home may opt out of the routine with parents filling out a short form. Students who drive to school may also leave phones in their vehicles for the day and the new policy allows for students who use a phone for medical reasons to maintain access to their device.
The school district has allocated the final $22,000 of its $4.8 million in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) COVID-19 pandemic recovery funds to pay for just under 670 of the locking cellphone cases made by the California company, Yondr. Priced between $25-30 apiece, the pouches are used in schools and performance venues to limit access to phones. The supply would allow each of the school’s approximately 580 students to receive a pouch and have extras for replacements. The cost also includes the magnetic locking/unlocking stations. Yondr.
School officials did not reply to an inquiry Monday afternoon about when delivery is expected for the cases. This Wednesday at 6 p.m., the Harwood School Board begins its regular meeting schedule after its summer break. Final approval of the appropriation for the cellphone pouches is on the board’s meeting agenda.