New Bedford Schools outline plan to roll out Yondr pouches after middle-school cellphone enforcement showed early gains

New Bedford Public Schools administrators told the school committee they will move forward with plans to implement a “Disconnect to Reconnect” cell‑phone protocol using Yondr pouches in grades 6 through 12 beginning next school year, after presenting early data that stricter enforcement of the district’s existing phone policy corresponded with improvements in student conduct, attendance and some academic measures at the middle‑school level.

Tammy Morgan, a district staff member who led the presentation, said middle schools that tightened enforcement of the 2018 policy — which requires phones to be turned off and out of sight during the school day — have shown “noted progress” on several measures when compared to the same point in last year. Morgan told the committee the district was able to identify about 55 cell‑phone infractions this year at the three middle schools and reported decreases in total conduct incidents, reductions in suspensions at two of the three middle schools, improvements in the percentage of students on or above grade level in ELA and math at two schools, and decreases in chronic absenteeism and increases in average daily attendance across all three schools.

The presentation made several operational points about a planned Yondr rollout. Each student would be assigned a personal pouch for the school year. Pouches lock with a magnetic mechanism and are unlocked at designated stations at dismissal; students retain possession of their phone within the sealed pouch during the school day. The district said it visited nearby systems that have implemented Yondr or similar programs (Salem, Brockton and Fall River and Durfee) to observe logistics and said those districts reported large compliance increases after an initial adjustment period. The district said alternative Velcro‑style pouches would be available for students with documented medical needs or other accommodations.

Morgan and high‑school administrators said the district intends a tiered consequence ladder for violations (from confiscation to parent pickup or disciplinary hearings for repeated or serious breaches) and stressed that Yondr pouches are a tool to achieve consistent enforcement rather than the policy itself. The immediate next steps the presentation listed were: finalize entering/exiting procedures; define incident codes in Aspen so cell‑phone infractions can be tracked separately; finalize communications and FAQs for families and students; and explore a small summer soft rollout during district summer programs.

Administrators acknowledged open logistical questions the committee raised: how pouches will be issued and collected, yearly reissuance and sanitization, how to staff pouch checks at large high‑school entrances, and how to support students who rely on phones for safety or medical reasons. The district told the committee that at the high school weapon‑detection entrance staff already monitor a small number of entry lanes and they believe staffing can be configured to observe pouch locking as students arrive. The district proposed collecting pouches at the end of the school year for reissue the following year but said details remain to be finalized.

District staff emphasized that the effort is intended to reduce distractions and support student mental well‑being and academic engagement, and that launch depends on finalizing logistics, communications and data systems. No committee vote to adopt Yondr pouches or to fund a purchase was taken at the meeting; the presentation was informational and identified action steps the central office will complete before seeking formal approval.

Ending: The district plans to bring final implementation details, cost estimates and a communications plan to the committee before purchasing or launching Yondr pouches. In the meantime, administrators will continue to enforce the existing “off and away” policy and improve incident coding and family outreach so the committee can evaluate the pilot’s effect using disaggregated data.