Students and community members urge Salem-Keizer to end Yonder Pouch cellphone program

Parents, students and community organizers urged the Salem-Keizer School District board to end the district's Yonder Pouch cellphone storage program, saying it disrupts communication, adds anxiety for immigrant students and has been enforced through disciplinary actions.

During the public-comment period, sixth-grade student Nicole Fernandez said she has anxiety because she cannot receive phone calls during the day and that her grades have fallen. "This has been causing me anxiety and stress, and this makes me not think about school anymore," Fernandez said.

Yesenia G., representing a youth-led group she said includes about 200 members, said a petition launched this week opposing the pouches had collected more than 350 signatures. "Communication with loved ones is essential to supporting the safety and mental health of immigrant students and their families," she said, and asked the board to end the program and shift funding into rapid-response and wellness programs.

Sandra Hernandez told the board the pouches prevent students from contacting family in emergencies and said the program conflicts with a recently adopted district resolution committing to Oregon's sanctuary principles. "This is simply a form of control and policing over students," she said.

Sixth-grader Alfonso V. described being pulled from class, searched and threatened with suspension on suspicion of carrying a phone. "My belongings were searched. I was also about to be patted down," he said. "What this mean is that our education will be interrupted with punishment."

Other commenters asked the board to redirect money spent on the pouch and weapon-detection programs into bilingual programs, student supports such as Duolingo and mental-health services. One speaker said district materials indicated little evidence that phone-ban programs improve academic outcomes, and multiple students said enforcement has led to missed class time.

Board members did not take immediate action on the program during the meeting. Several directors and staff noted they had received the public comments and that the items raised were part of ongoing discussions about discipline, safety and resource allocation.

Speakers

- Nicole Fernandez, sixth-grade student - Yesenia G., representative, youth-led "Latinos Bridal Ciempre" (as stated in public comment) - Sandra Hernandez, community member - Alfonso V., sixth-grade student - Chris, commenter

Authorities

- type: resolution; name/description: "District resolution committing to Oregon sanctuary status"; referenced_by: ["00:51:38","00:52:28"]

Actions

No formal board action or motion on the Yonder Pouch program was recorded during this meeting. Public comment was received and will be part of the board's ongoing discussion.

Clarifying details

- Petition signatures: "over 350" (as stated by a public commenter). - Student complaints cited: searches and suspensions tied to suspected phone possession (specific case details not specified). - Funding concerns: commenters asked that money used for the pouch and weapon-detection programs be reinvested in student support services (exact district line-item amounts not specified).

Community relevance

- Geographies: districtwide (Salem and Keizer schools) - Impact groups: immigrant students and their families, bilingual students, students subject to discipline

Provenance

- topicintro: block_id: "block_2695.47", local_start: 0, local_end: 320, evidence_excerpt: "Hi. My name is Nicole, and I'm in sixth grade. As a daughter of immigrants, I'm stressed about if someday my parents get deported and they try to call me in school and I wouldn't be able to answer the phone...", tc_start: "00:44:55", reason_code: "topicintro" - topfinish: block_id: "block_3563.26", local_start: 0, local_end: 120, evidence_excerpt: "Sarah m. Sir m. At this time, we wanna thank all of our public commanders for their comments this evening... At this time, we will take a break, and we will return at 07:10.", tc_start: "00:59:23", reason_code: "topicfinish"

Topics

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