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Board hears cell-phone policy update; district to stop buying Yondr pouches after price jump
Summary
The superintendent reviewed House Bill 250–related cell-phone governance changes and reported the district will not purchase additional Yondr pouches after prices rose; staff said behavior incidents had decreased since earlier Yondr use.
District staff updated the board on the cell-phone policy and the district’s recent experience using phone-locking pouches.
The presenter referenced House Bill 250 and said the law requires districts to adopt a policy limiting cell-phone use during school hours; the district’s preexisting policy (last revised Aug. 5, 2019) was attached for review.
Staff told the board that the district had purchased Yondr phone pouches for the high school, middle school and Westwood Village as COVID-era restrictions were eased. The presenter said unit costs and total expense have risen sharply recently — from an approximate earlier outlay (the presenter recalled about $11,000 for three buildings) to an amount the presenter quoted as about $24,000 — and that, given the cost increase and improved behavior, the district will not buy additional Yondr pouches at this time.
Staff also reported an “extremely significant” reduction in phone-related incidents after the pouches were introduced and suggested the change in culture reduced the ongoing need for further purchases.
Why it matters: the board will need to ensure written policy aligns with state law and weigh equipment costs against observed behavioral outcomes; the district has chosen not to pursue additional pouch purchases based on current conditions.
No formal vote on policy adoption was recorded in the transcript excerpt.
