Students’ cell phones to be locked during school at CMSD

Editor’s Note: The video above is about the Yondr system.

CLEVELAND (WJW) – Cleveland Metropolitan School District students are going to be adjusting to new changes regarding cell phones this upcoming school year.

New cell phone policy

According to CMSD , when school begins in August, all CMSD schools will create a cell-phone-free environment “to improve student learning and academic performance.”

Cell phones will be stored during school hours, CMSD says.

The district is going to use the Yondr system. The Yondr system uses lockable cell phone pouches.

According to CMSD , the pouches will stay with students throughout the day, but phones will not be accessible.

CMSD says more than 1,000 schools have seen success with the Yondr system .

Akron Public Schools is one of those districts.

“It’s quieter than it used to be, we don’t have the number of fights that we used to,” said Don Zesiger, Akron Public School’s former Director of Security after the policy was instituted there beginning last fall.

What’s behind the change

The change is coming for Ohio schools after lawmakers passed House Bill 250.

DeWine signed HB 250 in May. The law requires every school district in Ohio to establish an official policy on cellphones to minimize student use of cell phones during school hours.

“There is a broad consensus today that cell phones in schools are not good,” said DeWine when signing the bill.

“If children are using their cell phones for monitoring medical conditions such as insulin, and so forth, those things are going to be allowed and will be allowed to continue,” said Sen. Edward Brenner, the head of the Ohio Senate Education Committee following the signing of HB 250.

“I think first and most immediately, it’s a distraction. I mean, you really do get addicted to that immediate gratification of picking up and, you know, seeing how many likes you got on Instagram or how many views you got on TikTok. I mean, students really get fixated on that,” said Dr. Charles Smialek, superintendent of the Parma City School District , where cell phones are currently banned in classrooms.

“Parents have been supportive. They understand these are not good in terms of being learning tools in classrooms,” he added.

CMSD says Yondr has seen success at other schools in academic performance, student behavior and student engagement.

This comes amid a surprising recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“So the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that there be zero screen time per day. The problem with that is it’s nearly impossible,” said Dr. Elizabeth Harris, a psychologist with University Hospitals in Cleveland.

“So there is, of course, a wide spectrum of of the needs for technology in different kids. But for sure, we will see kids that have or display symptoms of an addiction to technology,” said Harris, who favors schools leaving their policies flexible.

Riverside High School in Painesville has adopted a flexible policy.

“Some teachers will make you put them in phone pockets, where others say keep it in your pocket until you are done,” said Camden Herrmann, a Riverside Junior.

A panel of Riverside students assembled by Fox 8 News overwhelmingly did not mind being separated from their phones during a school day but preferred having them where they could use them during their down time.

“I feel like a decent number of kids usually try to sneak them, play games when they should be doing their work,” said Cohen Gielink, a Riverside sophomore.

“It’s more just a way for me to keep in touch with people just in case something goes wrong, or I don’t know it’s just a big safety thing for me,” said Liam Forehlich, a Riverside Senior.

What CMSD recommends for parents

For any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s school directly. In case of an emergency, please reach out to the main office at your child’s school.

• Reaching Your Child: Contact the main office during the school day.
• School Emergencies: Students will follow the school’s emergency preparedness protocol for safety.
• Phone Safety: Phones remain in students’ possession within the Yondr pouch, kept safe in their backpacks.
• Handling Pouch Issues: Damaging a pouch or unauthorized phone use will result in disciplinary actions as outlined by the school.

Read more on the CMSD policy here .

The new law does not require public school districts in Ohio to immediately draft their policy, but gives them until July 2025, the start of the 2025-26 school year to have a policy in place.

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