The Nantucket School Committee reviewed a draft policy that would require students to keep personal cell phones secured in vendor-supplied pouches during the school day, with pouches unlocked by magnetic stations in school offices.

Superintendent Dr. [Doctor] Hallett said the district has been discussing the policy following developments at the state level and that the district would contract with Yonder for the pouch system. "Yonder works with heavy duty cloth pouches that have a magnetic closure ... when students arrive in school, they will put their phone into a pouch and the pouch will be closed and that closure will stay that way until it can be unlocked with a magnet," Hallett said.

The nut of the debate centered on daily operations and safety. The draft policy would store phones in personal pouches kept in students' possession; pouches would only be unlocked at staffed magnet locations in school offices at arrival and dismissal. Hallett said unlocking at classroom locations is not the district’s current plan: "So they will not be available in classrooms but will be available, in the front office." The superintendent added that unlocking is quick: "The unlocking is incredibly fast. You walk by, you touch it, it unlocks automatically." The district plans further information and a vendor demonstration before a future vote.

Committee members pressed officials for operational detail. Committee member Vincent (Vince) asked whether unlocking magnets could cause a single choke point at the school entrance, urging more unlocking stations to avoid long lines. "The only thing I'd ask for is more magnets to unlock them, increase the number of locations, stop choke points," Vince said. Other members, including Esmeralda and Shantal, echoed concern about students who might need immediate access in emergencies and asked how office-based unlocking would work for early dismissals and bathroom or hallway incidents.

Administrators said the plan anticipates exceptions: office phones and other outgoing lines will remain available and staff will use established procedures for dismissal and emergency communication. Hallett said that if a student needs to contact a parent they can use school lines: "If there are emergencies, there are numerous outgoing phones that can be used to call parents across the district." The district also said it is installing a new phone system to improve overhead announcements and phone-based communications in areas where the intercom is limited.

Committee members and staff also discussed related issues: whether smart watches would be included (officials said they would be placed in the same pouches), how substitutes would enforce the policy, and how dual-factor authentication for district Chromebooks will be handled without relying on students' phones.

The committee did not vote on the policy at the meeting; the item remains in draft form pending vendor details and operational clarifications.