A long-promised cell phone ban is coming to New York City public schools, but students may end up hiding their phones in $30 pouches purchased by cash-strapped schools.
According to an outline of the plan, students will be banned from using mobile phones at school from February. First reported By Chalkbeat.
The ban would require school principals to institute their own policies to keep cellphones away from students, which could be a distraction, such as by requiring students to collect their phones at the start of the day or keep them in “Yonder Pouches,” fabric cases that lock with a magnet, until they leave school, according to the report.
Teachers, principals and parents stressed that Education Department officials have not yet issued guidance, but told The Washington Post that the rumored details raise questions about cost, practicality and whether they could serve to cover up embarrassing incidents.
“It seems like the school administration is desperate to stop kids from filming anything at school,” the parent leader said.
Video taken by a student at Hillcrest High School in Jamaica shows students rioting against a teacher who attended a pro-Israel rally in November.
A Department of Education spokesperson repeatedly declined to confirm the details of Chalkbeat’s report, saying only that “no decisions have been made at this time.”
Schools Chancellor David Banks has pledged to move forward with a citywide ban on cellphones as a measure to avoid distractions and other problems in schools.
Yondr describes itself as a company that “creates phone-free spaces” through a pouch that magnetically locks your device inside.
The company’s website lists testimonials from entertainers like Dave Chappelle and Jack White, who say the pouch keeps audiences engaged at comedy shows and concerts without getting lost in their phones.
A citywide ban on cell phone use in schools could mean big profits for the company.
Cell phone policies are currently determined by each school, with many requiring students to pack their devices in Yondr pouches.
“We started using Yonder Pouches this year,” a Brooklyn principal told The Post.
The principal said each bag cost $30 and he had to pay for 50 of them out of the school’s budget.
The citywide ban plan, first reported by Chalkbeat, did not include additional funding for schools to purchase porches.
Another principal said he wanted more guidance before he began collecting thousands of dollars worth of cellphones every day.
Donalda Chamney, a former superintendent of schools for Manhattan’s 2nd District and current parent association member for Brooklyn’s 15th District, told The Washington Post that any ban should still allow children to bring cell phones to school.
Expecting an 11-year-old to walk home from school in the dark without his cell phone is not a good safety measure these days, she said.
“When I was a principal, kids would bring their phones to school, we would collect them at the beginning of the day and we would return them at the end,” she said. “We kept the phones in the main office. It was smooth.”
