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Cellphone ban: DeKalb County Schools approves $400K for smartphone pouch pilot program

By and FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Updated  July 9, 2024 7:05pm EDT
DeKalb County School District
FOX 5 Atlanta

DeKalb County Schools ban cell phones

The DeKalb County School District has become the latest in a growing number of Georgia schools to restrict cell phone use on campus. Starting this fall, some middle and high schools students will lock their phones away into Yondr Pouches during the school day.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - The DeKalb County School Board voted to spend $400,000 on a smartphone pouch pilot program during its meeting on Monday. 

The pilot program will launch in five middle and five high schools across the county, impacting about 13,000 students. 

What is a Yondr case? 

Yondr pouches, which have seen heavy use in the entertainment industry, are now making their way into the schools. The simple design allows for students to lock their phones while maintaining possession of them. Students must turn their phones off before placing them into the pouches. 

The pouches are magnetically sealed by a base. In DeKalb County, each school will have at least 20 unlocking bases. Students or staff can also unscrew the cases manually. 

The goal is to help create a distraction-free environment. 

In addition to phones, schools will receive medical pouches, which utilize Velcro, to help students who take vital medication throughout the day, including students with diabetes. 

Phone pouches for school: Do they work? 

The board heard from Dr. Darnell T. Logan, Director of Student Relations in the Division of Wrap-Around Services, during Monday's meeting. The presentation stated that 84% of students saw a change in student engagement, 72% saw a positive change in student behavior, and 68% saw changes in academic performance. The data was collected from 1,200 school partners who have implemented the program. 

Yondr reports in a recent survey of 370 school partners, there was an 86% positive impact on student safety and wellness. 

Which DeKalb County Schools get Yondr pouches? 

Five middle schools and five high schools will be part of the pilot program. Additionally, three schools will be part of the cellphone locker pilot program. 

Those schools include: 

  • Salem Middle School
  • Henderson Middle School
  • Sequoyah Middle School
  • Lithonia Middle School
  • Tucker Middle School
  • Martin Luther King, Jr., High School
  • Lakeside High School
  • Cross Keys High School
  • Tucker High School

Miller Grove, Druid Hills, and Chapel Hill middle schools will be part of the cellphone locker pilot program. 

The school district noted the students' diversity at the selected schools to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the program's impact. 

DeKalb County Schools’ cellphone locker pilot program 

The DeKalb County School Board also voted on Monday to implement a cellphone locker pilot program requiring students to put their phones in a locker before class starts. The students can then pick the device back up at the end of the period. 

Again, students will be required to power down their cellphone before turning the device in to the faculty. 

Marietta City Schools cellphone ban will be put to a vote on June 18, 2024.

Two board members expressed concerns about successfully engaging parents with the plan. Additionally, one board member anticipated that students might continue to use their laptops or smartwatches to access social media during the school day.

Other metro Atlanta school districts target cellphones 

In June, the Marietta City School Board unanimously voted to ban cellphones in schools. The district is also taking advantage of the Yondr system. 

Several other school districts have considered moving towards banning cellphones, but nothing as significant as the district-wide measure being implemented by Marietta City Schools.