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Collingswood to pilot Yondr phone pouches at high school to create a 'distraction‑free' campus
Summary
The board approved curriculum items that include a high‑school pilot of Yondr phone pouches, funded with Title grant dollars; administrators described unlocking stations, student responsibility for pouches, and restorative discipline for noncompliance, while parents raised safety and access concerns.
The Collingswood Board of Education moved forward with a high‑school pilot of Yondr phone pouches aimed at creating a 'distraction‑free' campus. Curriculum staff presented the plan and the board approved the curriculum slate that included the pilot as part of items 12.02–12.13.
Miss Hal Turner, who described the implementation work at the high school, said the initiative grew out of staff conversations and local book study groups and that the goal is to reduce device distractions so teachers can teach: “we need to go further as a district, to reach the point of a distraction free campus,” she said. Staff formed a task force, communicated with families over the summer and set aside professional development days for roll‑out.
Administrators described operational details: the district will provide one heavy‑duty neoprene pouch per student; students keep the pouch with them and unlock at multiple unlocking stations placed at exits to avoid bottlenecks at dismissal; there is a process for replacing lost or damaged pouches. Funding for the pouches and the locking/unlocking equipment was described as being covered by Title grant funds.
Board members and parents pressed for safeguards. Questions included how families would contact students during the day, how students would retrieve forgotten lunches or money, bathroom pass procedures and whether the pouch blocks cellular signals (it does not; a parent who tested the pouch said phones still vibrated inside). Administrators said the district will rely on established school phones and office staff for urgent family contact and will use the district's restorative code of conduct for noncompliance rather than an entirely new punitive regime.
The pilot is limited to Collingswood High School for the coming school year; administrators said they do not plan immediate expansion to the middle or elementary schools because existing middle‑school practices have been effective and elementary phone use is not widespread. Staff cited Woodbury and other nearby districts as case studies and said those districts reported increased engagement and academic results after implementing similar initiatives.
What’s next: School staff will continue family communications and monitor the pilot. Board and administrators said they will evaluate outcomes and consider adjustments in subsequent years.
