Waterbury starts school year with new cellphone policy

WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Monday was the first school day in some Connecticut school districts, including Waterbury.

With the new school year comes the start of a new school policy regarding personal electronics . Middle and high schools are following state advice and ensuring fewer distractions in the classroom, but the new rules are not going over well with all students.

“A whole bunch of kids are not happy,” Melody Santos, a senior at Waterbury Career Academy, said. “I’m not happy.”

“With any change like that, of course, there’s going to be some grumbling about it,” Randy Ramdin, a Career Academy senior, said.

The change involves the electronic devices that distract us all too often.

“Most adults can’t go a few minutes without checking their phone,” Waterbury Schools’ interim superintendent Dr. Darren Schwartz said. “So, you can imagine how often students who are developing feel the urge to check.”

During first period, all phones, smartwatches and anything that could be a distraction were placed in a special pouch made by a company called Yondr. The pouches were then locked, keeping the devices within reach but inaccessible.

“They keep it on them all day, so students keep their technology on them,” Schwartz said. “We don’t want their technology.”

Those pouches can only be opened by a special magnet. Some of them are mounted on the walls by the doors. At the end of the day, students stop by the magnet, unlock their pouch, take out their phones, and leave. Most students understand the reason for limiting the use of electronics but are not thrilled with the pouch plan.

“There’s other ways to go about this,” Santos said. “When entering a classroom, put your phone up at the front of the class because we do that for tests, and it’s no issue.”

“If I need to contact my family in case of an emergency, I’d have to come down to the office,” Career Academy senior Haylie Johnson said. “If I can’t, there’s no real way to get in touch with my family.”

Administrators said the change will benefit students and staff.

“We want students to feel like they belong in their schools,” Schwartz said. “We want families to be happy with the school they’re sending their child to, but we want our staff to feel like this is a great place to work every single day.”

There is some good news about staffing. Two years ago, Waterbury had 120 teacher openings. That is down to 60 at the start of this school year.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.