New Bedford area schools are limiting phones in class. How the new locking pouches work.

When students return to the Global Learning Charter Public School in New Bedford this week, they will be entering a phone-free zone.

The 500 students in the grades 5 through 12 school will have to lock up their phones in a pouch that they carry with them throughout the day until dismissal.

Principal Lena Pires said cellphones in general, including wireless earbuds, are taking away from teaching and learning in the classroom.

She said earbuds make it difficult for students to hear their teachers, or teachers have to keep telling their students to put their phones away, leading to constant interruptions and frustration.

“That is a consistent redirect throughout the school day,” she said.

How the Yondr pouch system works

The school has invested in the Yondr system of pouches and unlocking bases to keep students from being able to use their phones during the school day.

The pouch simply locks when it’s closed, and users regain access to their phones by tapping the pouch on a magnetic device that unlocks it.

Students who need their phones for medical purposes will be issued a medical pouch that allows them access to their phone.

Pires said parents who want to speak to their children during the day can still do that, whether it’s through the school nurse or a counselor who can help the students unlock their phones in a controlled environment.

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Hard conversations to be had

Pires said in some cases, constant interruptions due to cellphone use can result in student discipline. She said there are instances of students getting defensive when asked to put their phones away, leading to defiance, which in turn can result in discipline being handed down.

“If I’m having these ongoing conversations as an educator with a child, what aren’t they talking about?” she said.

Pires said she expects she will need to have some good, solid conversations about the policy with students in grades 8 through 12 because it will be a significant change. The fifth- and ninth-graders will start school first.

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The need for better communication

Pires said she’s also concerned that students don’t talk to each other; they pick up their cellphones and text other students when they should be talking face-to-face instead. She said she wants to bring that kind of communication back.

She said there has also been significant research into the effects of social media on children, leading to high anxiety and less sleep, needing to constantly check their phones and the need for more sleep, creating a vicious circle.

Change was announced in the spring

Pires made an announcement via the online notification system earlier this year about the change to a phone-free environment, posted a video about the Yondr pouches and recently met with parents, which she said resulted in limited discussion.

Overall, this will create a healthier school environment for our students and staff, according to Executive Director Steve Furtado Jr.

He said the decision to join numerous other schools across the country in creating a phone-free zone is rooted in the need to create classroom environments where students can learn free from distractions, reduce the incidents of cyberbullying and exposure to harmful internet content, and increase meaningful connections between students.

“We are confident that this new policy will improve academic performance as well as the social-emotional health of our students,” he said.

What the New Bedford Public Schools are considering

New Bedford Public Schools administrators are piloting the Yondr program at Roosevelt Middle School, while the Normandin Middle School opts for cellphone lockers. The district has not yet decided what to do about cellphones at the high school.

New Bedford Public Schools Executive Director of Student Services Tammy Morgan outlined the school’s proposed new cellphone pilot programs at the Aug. 12 School Committee meeting. She said the goal is to ensure that cellphone use doesn’t take away from a student’s education.

The two New Bedford middle schools are piloting different methods to support enforcing the cellphone policy requiring that phones be turned off and not be visible during the school day, Morgan said. At Normandin, Morgan said, students will lock their cell phones in their homerooms all day.

“Students would turn in the phone and lock them in these locked cubbies, and they would remain with their homeroom locked throughout the day,” she said. “At the end of the day, students would report back to their homeroom, and one of the tasks they would be charged with would be to retrieve their cellphone from their homeroom teacher.”

Bishop Stang High School maintains policy

At Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth, the cellphone policy states that cell phones must remain in student backpacks throughout the school day, including during breaks and lunchtime.

Standard-Times staff writer Kathryn Gallerani can be reached at kgallerani@gannett.com . Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford area schools are limiting phones in class. How the new locking pouches work.