WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – Town Creek Middle School and Cedar Grove Middle School will use magnetic cell phone pockets in the 2024-2025 school year to keep students’ attention in class.
The Brunswick County Board of Education will test the YONDR bag at two middle schools this year. At the beginning of the school day, students will place their phones in a magnetically sealed bag. The bags will be opened at the end of the school day.
Students keep their phones on them all day. If a student needs to open their bag to get to their phone, there are several places in the school with magnets that will open the bags. Steven Barger, chair of the school board, says students’ bags are only opened under certain circumstances.
He says parents who want to contact their children can contact the school office. School officials say this is not an attempt to stop communication between children and parents, but to help students stay focused in school.
“This is not an attempt to shut down communication between students and their parents. We believe wholeheartedly that parents should have access to their children during the day. And that can be done by calling the office. If a student needs to call their parents, they can go to the office and call their parents. All of our classrooms are also equipped with phones,” Barger said.
Cell phones in schools are a nationwide problem. According to a survey conducted by YONDR, schools that used the cell phone case saw improved student participation in class, better behavior, and better academic performance.
Barger says he understands the concerns about the pilot program. At the open house for Town Creek and Cedar Grove Middle, parents and students tested the YONDR bags and took home an information sheet that answered various questions.
“I think everyone is nervous about anything new. We want the program to be successful, but we also know we have to sit back and wait and see how the data develops.”
Barger says with phones put away, teachers can focus on teaching and have less disciplinary action against students for inappropriate phone use. Officials say they want to give students the opportunity to have meaningful face-to-face connections.
Students with health conditions who need their phones for monitoring use a non-closing Velcro pouch. Parents can exempt their children from using the YONDR pouch. Children who do not use the YONDR pouch must leave the devices at home.
Depending on how the data develops, the YONDR bag could spread to other schools in Brunswick County and throughout southeastern North Carolina.
“I’ve been in touch with other board members in other counties who are interested in seeing how we’ve gone through the process so far and what we’re planning to do, and quite a few of them are interested in seeing how it works in Brunswick County.”
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