These Wilmington-area school districts are exploring new ways to address phone distractions

Schools in New Hanover and Brunswick counties have been addressing cellphone distractions in the classroom by exploring a company called Yondr, along with considering policy changes and looking into other options.

According to the Pew Research Center, about 72% of high school teachers say that students being distracted by cellphones is a major problem in their classroom, compared with 33% of middle school teachers and 6% of elementary school teachers.

“It’s almost impossible for a teacher to teach and maintain some type of academic decorum, and then try to find cellphones,” said New Hanover County Board of Education member Hugh McManus.

Many teens, however, say that the benefits of having smartphones outweigh the harms for people their age. About 45% of teens say that smartphones make it easier for people their age to do well in school, compared with 23% who say they make it harder, and 30% who say smartphones don’t affect teens’ success in school, according to the Pew Research Center.

Yondr's phone-free learning

Brunswick County Schools Superintendent Dale Cole announced that Cedar Grove Middle School and Town Creek Middle School will be rolling out the use of Yondr pouches this year. Yondr focuses on a phone-free school environment and offers lockable pouches where students insert their phones and other devices, preventing use throughout the school day. At the end of the day, students have their pouch unlocked by tapping it on a mounted station throughout the school.

Cole said parents will be able to opt out of the program if their student does not have a phone or if the student has a phone and the parent decides not to let the student bring the phone to school. Both schools will demonstrate how to use the pouches at open houses so families know what to expect.

"The pouch does not block the internet, so they'll have all of their notifications and everything will be there waiting on them, and then they can put their pouch in their backpack and keep it and bring it back the next day," Cole said.

For students who need a personal device for a medical issue, their pouch will include a Velcro opening instead of a lock in case they needed to check their blood sugar levels or something else that is necessary for their wellbeing.

More: Obscene material on students' phones is rising, New Hanover assistant district attorney warns

Policy changes

Cole recommended an update to Brunswick County Schools' cellphone policy, which would state that cellphones should be turned off and put away for the entirety of the instructional day at elementary and middle schools. This would also be applicable to the two schools using Yondr pouches. Cole said that implementing the same policy across the K-8 schools would also allow for more clean data when assessing how the Yondr schools compare to the schools not using the program.

At the high school level, Cole recommended that phones be put away for instructional time, but that principals have discretion on non-instructional times, which would include class changes and lunch. The board decided to read over the policy changes another time before voting.

What are the consequences?

For Brunswick County Schools, Cole said for those who choose not to follow the phone-free requirements, the first offense will be that the student's device will be collected and placed in the front office and will be able to be picked up at the end of the day. The parent or guardian of the student will also be notified. If further refusal continues. the student could face in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension.

If the pouch is lost or damaged, parents will have to pay a fee of $30 to replace the pouch.

Exploring alternative options

The New Hanover County Board of Education explored the Yondr pouch option during their August regular meeting, but is still considering other options.

Board member Stephanie Kraybill said the cost for implementation throughout the whole district would be $765,000, which the district realistically could not afford this year. For middle schools, the cost would be $171,000 and for high schools, the cost would be $234,500, which she also said the district can’t afford.

Parents also said that their students will find ways to communicate with their school-issued electronic devices, even if they don’t have access to their phones. Assistant Superintendent of Technology and Digital Learning Dawn Brinson said that students can’t connect their personal devices to the district’s network. She said she would look into whether students would be able to communicate through other applications.

Board member Melissa Mason also said the board should consider an incentive program previously created by one of the district's student voice members.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: These Wilmington-area school districts are exploring new ways to address phone distractions