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Forest Park Middle School credits phone-pouch practice for drop in tech problems, boosts in engagement
Summary
Forest Park Middle School told the Franklin Board of Education that a schoolwide “Yonder” pouch practice for phones, paired with social-emotional learning (SEL), reduced reported technology incidents in September and improved student engagement and net-promoter scores.
Forest Park Middle School Principal Jenna Taylor told the Franklin Board of Education on Oct. 8 that the school’s “Yonder” phone-pouch practice, combined with targeted social-emotional learning, has coincided with sharp declines in reported technology-related incidents and higher student engagement scores.
Taylor and three counselors presented data showing a September comparison to last year: bully reports fell from five to zero; social-media-related conflicts fell from 32 to zero; and improper technology uses fell from 25 to six. Taylor said the school uses the Yonder pouch routine to get students “in and out in 4 minutes or less every day,” and that the pouch practice is paired with tiered SEL lessons and small-group interventions.
The data, staff said, is one measure of a broader effort emphasizing self-management — the Department of Public Instruction competency the presenters cited — and universal Tier 1 instruction. “Self management is all those things you think about with managing yourself,” counselor Ellen Montanaro said, describing instruction in emotion management, impulse control, goal-setting and planning.
The board was shown additional school metrics the presenters characterized as celebratory: an average student response of 3.44 on a question about whether students care about each other’s feelings, and a net promoter score of 51.62 for fall, which the presenters said meets the threshold for “good or excellent” in the community. Presenters linked the improvements to lunchtime programming that replaced phone use with structured themes, including “Mind Monday,” “Tool Tuesday,” “Wildcat Wednesday,” “Talk Together Thursday” and “Fun Friday.”
Counselors described specific lunchtime changes: daily themes, breathing and self-regulation exercises, games and discussion prompts. Bernadette Vanlith described daily lunch activities and prize encouragement; Mindy Greco described staff and student responses. Eighth-grade counselor Mindy Greco said she had spoken with a parent who feared her son would struggle without a phone but later reported that he “has had a couple situations where he was able to self regulate by himself and stay in class” and became a frequent participant in lunch activities.
Students appearing during the presentation said their favorite parts of being phone-free were “being able to interact with other classmates” and “talking to my friends” instead of looking at screens.
Board members praised the presentation. District Administrator Dr. Bennett and multiple board members encouraged continuing the approach and offered to visit the school’s lunchtime or recess periods. The presenters invited board members and community members to sample the lunch activities.
The presentation materials and staff comments emphasized that the pouch practice is not presented as a sole solution but as one element of a buildingwide SEL strategy that includes advisory lessons (Second Step), Zones of Regulation and tiered supports.
