Cohoes board formalizes phone pouches, will add student ex‑officio reports; students describe early benefits

The Cohoes City School District Board of Education on Sept. 24 said it will add ex‑officio student board member reports to its meeting agenda and formalize procedures for student devices, including mandatory Yonder (phone) pouches and new device agreement and refusal forms.

Superintendent O'Shea opened the meeting by noting the board’s procedural change and the planned inclusion of student ex‑officio reports on future agendas. She said the district expects the student‑report line to appear “once a month.”

Students who spoke during the superintendent’s update described early effects of the pouch policy. Britney Valencia, a 12th grader, said teachers report students “seem to be more engaged in class” and are completing work “more efficiently.” Eleventh‑grader Hibba Janaed told the board that, from a student perspective, the pouches initially were “a challenge,” but “now it almost feels like second nature.” Janaed said screen time has dropped and “face to face conversations have gone up.” The report included comments attributed to other students: Grace DeRose said she had not seen a large personal effect but found the pouches “beneficial in getting kids to talk more,” Isaiah Smith said the change “encouraged many students to talk to others,” and Chase Winslow said the pouches made the school “a more safer environment.”

O'Shea said the district will distribute new device agreements and refusal forms for device issuance this week. Parents who accept a device and pouch will not need to take action; parents who refuse the device must return it and complete a refusal form, she said. The board clarified the pouch itself is mandatory; the device agreement and device refusal process apply to district‑issued devices only.

Board and staff members also raised communication logistics tied to the pouch policy. Teachers and coaches asked how after‑school cancellations or injury notifications will be communicated when students cannot carry phones during the school day. Athletic Director Jeff Funo and other staff noted coaches commonly use text group messages or apps such as GameChanger; the board discussed encouraging use of district channels (Schoology or ParentSquare) to limit personal phone communications. O'Shea and staff said they will issue clear guidance on when staff should call parents directly for injuries and when students should notify their families.

The board did not adopt a separate new ordinance at the meeting; O'Shea described the forms and web postings as administrative steps to implement device rules.

The board will place the ex‑officio student report item on future agendas and post device and pouch agreement forms and a refusal form on the district website by the end of the week, O'Shea said.