COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Since the beginning of the school year, District 11 has enforced a no-phone rule for middle and high school students. It requires students to lock their devices in a pouch during the school day.
Although administrators say they’re happy with the improvements in student engagement, some teachers are concerned. 11 News heard from a teacher in February who said she wasn’t seeing the rule being enforced.
Each student is assigned a Yondr pouch, which costs $30. Each day, students are expected to put their phones in the Yondr pouch and use a magnet to lock it. They can only unlock the phone when they’re leaving the building.
In response to the concerned teacher, the district said,
“A primary goal of the board when implementing the cell phone policy was to take the burden of managing phones out of the hands of teachers and ensure a consistent approach throughout the school day. While we acknowledge that every new policy comes with a period of adjustment, we’re confident that this approach supports our goal of minimizing classroom disruptions and maintaining a focused learning environment.”
Doherty High School principal Hillary Heinton told 11 News she’s seen the overall culture of the school improve with this change.
“It’s so endearing to watch them actually have conversations and kind of connect with each other and make eye contact,” Heinton said, ”it’s improved the culture of Doherty and the interactions the kids have with each other and the interactions that they have with themselves.”
The district says they don’t have any data on how this has improved student achievement since they are still in their first year of implementing the program.
