Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia (FCPS) is initiating a pilot program for several middle schools to restrict students’ cellphone access during school hours, starting in the 2024-25 academic year.
The pilot program will involve seven schools: Frost Middle School, Irving Middle School, Jackson Middle School, Poe Middle School, Robinson Middle School, Thoreau Middle School, and Twain Middle School.
According to FCPS, the schools will maintain a phone-free environment during the school day to minimize distractions and enhance student engagement and academic performance.
During the week of September 2, students in the pilot program will be provided with a cell phone storage pouch, known as a Yondr pouch, which is magnetic and prevents phone usage, including social media, texts, and calls.
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Mobile phones are secured in “Yondr” pouches before entering an event at the Brooklyn Museum on November 22, 2019, in New York City. (Getty Images)
Students will be accountable for their Yondr pouch and must bring it to school daily.
Each morning, upon arriving at school, students will securely lock their phones in their Yondr pouches and store them in their backpacks. AirPods must also be stored in the pouch or in the student’s backpack, while smartwatches need to be disabled or set to airplane mode.
In case of a family emergency, parents can reach the school’s front office.
FCPS stated on its website, “The goal of this pilot program is to foster a more focused learning environment for students, free from the distractions of cell phones and social media.” Studies indicate that students using their phones during classes tend to exhibit decreased focus, learn less, and achieve lower grades.
Students will be responsible for consistently bringing their Yondr pouch to school. (Getty Images)
The new cellphone policy will be enforced from the start to the end of each school day.
Students must retain their phones throughout the day but cannot use them until they unlock their pouches at the end of the day at designated Yondr unlocking stations.
If a student forgets their pouch, they must keep their phone at the front office during school hours, and it will be returned after school.
Should a student damage or lose their pouch, school staff will take the phone or pouch to the front office for the entire school day, and the student will incur an $18 replacement fee.
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Seven schools will partake in the pilot program during the 2024-25 school year. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
This initiative follows an executive order signed by Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin last month, directing the Virginia Department of Education “to create guidance for public school districts to develop local policies that establish cell phone-free education.”
In his order, Youngkin stated, “The need for implementing cell phone-free education in Virginia’s K-12 public schools is becoming increasingly clear. Parents, public health professionals, educators, and other stakeholders throughout the Commonwealth are expressing concerns about the significant mental health crisis and chronic health issues affecting adolescents, such as depression and anxiety, largely driven by excessive social media use and the extensive availability of smartphones to children.”
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He further noted that “cell phone-free education will greatly reduce the time students can spend on phones without parental oversight.”
Other districts in Virginia and beyond, including California, New York, Texas, and Georgia, are also enacting policies to limit cellphone use during school hours, often utilizing Yondr pouches.
