A Wichita private school has adopted a new cell phone policy, requiring students to place their cell phones and other electronic devices inside a locked bag during the school day.
It’s the first area district to take that step. Others, including the Wichita district, allow students to use their phones during passing periods and lunch, but not during class.
Trinity Academy is a private Christian K-12 school in northeast Wichita. It has given students in grades 8-12 lockable magnetic pouches called Yondr Bags .
When students arrive at school, they are required to place their phones, earbuds and smartwatches inside the bag. The students keep the pouch with them all day and at the end of the day “tap their pouch on a base” that opens it up.
“Students may have their phones before and after school, but not during lunch, classes or passing periods,” Trinity Academy spokesperson Joni Attenberry said in an email.
Kids in grades K-7 are not allowed to have cell phones or smartwatches on campus, Attenberry added.
Los Angeles-based Yondr Bags works with school districts, musicians, comedians, court houses and venues. The company reportedly works with thousands of school across 27 countries.
Why a cell phone-free environment?
Cell phones in the classroom are a source of distraction, especially in high schools, according to the Pew Research Center.
Teachers also blame students’ worsening mental health on the constant use of devices in the classroom, Education Week said.
Matt Shepherd, head of Trinity Academy, said the policy has been well-received.
“The halls are alive, the lunchroom is filled with laughter, and kids are looking at each other in the eyes,” Shepherd said. “This is good for their souls.”
“That distraction [cell phones] impacts in-class learning and friendships, and leads to poor sleep, anxiety and depression,” Shepherd added.
One of the most common objections to a cell phone-free policy is that students may need to access their devices during an emergency or security threat.
To counter this, all classrooms at Trinity Academy have a cell phone, as do teachers, Attenberry said.
The Yondr Education Program and U.S. school districts say the pouches have shown results with 83% of participating schools noting improved student engagement and 65% reporting better academic performance.
School districts elsewhere have adopted similar policies. Arkansas school districts have implemented a “phone free” program .” In Texas, school officials report that cell phone-free policies are improving student engagement and mental health.
Cell phone policies in Wichita, surrounding school districts
The Wichita school district, the state’s largest, allows high school students to use their cell phones before and after school, during passing periods and at lunch. At all other times, phones are not to be used unless allowed by an administrator, according to the district’s handbook.
Cell phone use at Derby High School is “restricted’ from 8 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. When students can use their cell phones is not noted, but the Derby High School handbook says use is “discouraged.”
High schools in Haysville, Valley Center, Mulvane, Clearwater, Goddard, Maize, Andover, Renwick and Cheney school districts have policies similar to Wichita’s. Students can use their cell phones before/after school, during passing periods and at lunch, according to their handbooks.
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