Niagara Falls board adopts internet-enabled device ban, orders 3,500 storage pouches

The Niagara Falls City School District on July 31 adopted a policy that prohibits students from using internet-enabled devices during the school day and sets a districtwide system for storing and securing those devices. The board waived the usual 30-day tabling period and approved the policy in a roll call vote.

The policy requires students in preK–6 to keep devices in a personal ‘‘Yonder pouch’’ or in their cubby or locker for the school day. For grades 7–12 the district ordered 3,500 Yonder pouches to be issued individually; magnets and locked cabinets will be installed at designated locations in schools to secure pouches while students are in class. Superintendent Tony Lohrey said the district expects the magnets and other hardware to be installed within about two weeks.

The policy also defines communication alternatives for parents and guardians. District offices, the school clinic and the public address system remain available; the district will add Remind, a text-based messaging app linked to PowerSchool rosters, so teachers and parents can exchange messages tied to a student's schedule. "Remind will be an app parents will be able to have on their phone, and it will be an ability for a parent to reach a teacher," a district staff member explained during the meeting.

Discipline follows a four-step progression that the superintendent described as: documented warning for a first offense; confiscation and return at the end of the day for a second offense; confiscation requiring parent pick-up for a third offense; and for a fourth offense, the student may be barred from bringing a phone into school in a secured bag for the remainder of the school year. Lohrey stressed that the policy had been edited to remove any reference to suspension for failure to comply, saying "that would be against the statute." The district will retain superintendent-level review for extreme cases.

There are limited exemptions: students with medical needs, identified English-language learners or students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) will receive Velcro-style pouches that are not magnetized and can be accessed for approved reasons. The district will also provide guidance to staff: adults are expected to model the behavior, and the policy permits staff to use phones only when students are not present or to announce why a brief use is necessary for safety or two-step authentication.

The superintendent said the district conducted a survey that returned 918 responses (about one-third students, one-third teachers and one-third community members) and plans follow-up surveys at roughly 10, 20 and 40 weeks after implementation. He described the policy as "fluid," saying the district would return to the board with data and recommended changes if the program falters.

On funding, the superintendent told the board the state had provided $10.90 per student in grades 7–12, producing $32,480 for the district. "That's far under what this setup will cost," he said, and noted the district placed local funds in the budget to cover the shortfall.

Board members and the student representative pressed on operational questions: how phones will be silenced (students will be taught to turn devices off or set airplane mode), who puts devices in pouches (students are responsible), what happens if a pouch is lost (families may replace them), and logistics at large schools where repeated pouch handling could affect bell schedules. The board received examples from schools that piloted phone limits: one principal reported 13 infractions in a pilot at a school with about 432 students.

Following discussion and brief public comments from the newly sworn-in student representative, the board voted to waive the 30-day tabling requirement and adopted the policy. The superintendent said the district will report back after the opening weeks of school and again during the year with survey results and recommended adjustments.

Implementation details to watch include final placement of magnets and locked cabinets, teacher and parent training on Remind and the phone‑off expectation, management of lost pouches, and whether state funding will be increased or reallocated. "We have to enforce this. This is not something that the board can choose to or not to," Lohrey said during the meeting.