The new cell phone policy instituted this year at select PPS schools is an ineffective decision, a waste of time and money, and a safety risk. Students and parents throughout the district are voicing concerns and bringing up important issues.

For those who are not aware, the policy requires the locking of each student's personal devices including cell phones and smart watches in a plastic, magnetized pouch, which will not be unlocked until the end of the day, even during flex, movement between classes, and lunch. Not only that, but according to the Grant High School Principal, the punishment at Grant will be a level two strike on your permanent college record if you are seen with your phone outside the pouch at all, or any device or earbud/headphones. A second time would result in a level three strike.

This policy will not control phone usage among those who are the problem, it will just further punish those who are more focused about school, and forcibly shift a responsibility that should be on students and student families (helping with cell phone addiction and the mental health impacts of cell phones) onto school policy. 

The policy places undue responsibility on schools and limits students' freedom to choose. In addition, Grant High School is banning the use of any non PPS laptops on campus, further forcing the use of school-owned devices. Forcing students to only use PPS controlled chromebooks throughout the entire day instead of personal devices is restrictive and unnecessary, and overlooks the importance of personal choice and responsibility. Leaving chromebooks as the only technological option for the entire day could cause issues, due to service blocking and the restrictions placed on them. Grant is also blocking the carrying of any earbuds or headphones on campus, which is a huge blow to almost every student. Even students that just listen to music on the way to school won’t be able to anymore, which has been directly stated to multiple students by the principal.

Not only that, but there’s the issue of medical and accessibility apps and sites. While PPS says there will be “some exceptions”, there will most likely be a significant amount of required bureaucracy to be excluded from something this large. Students may be forced to obtain an IEP or 504, and parents may have to provide arguments as to why their student needs access to their personal belongings and medical tools. Many cell phones and smart watches have medical importance, and forcing students and families to go through a lengthy process just to have access to those tools is absurd. 

We recognize the importance of communication and accessibility in the school environment. Restricting digital interaction throughout the entire day, including breaks, could hinder essential communication among students and between students and their families. This includes coordinating rides to functions or practices, as well as emergency communications. This concept of cell phone control neglects the reason why most parents bought their child a phone in the first place.

The majority of PPS students eat lunch off campus at least once per week. With the proposed plan for the Yondr pouches, students would not be able to use cell phones, even when off campus for lunch. This is clearly a huge safety issue, and a point that needs to be addressed. 

Money is also a huge issue. This system requires a financial investment of tens of thousands of dollars, with Grant alone spending 37 thousand dollars on Yondr pouches. This money could be allocated to any number of beneficial programs, in a time where budget cuts and funding issues are common, including the removal of the Grant Makerspace. 

Moreover, it risks further straining the relationship between students and staff. We need trust to foster a positive learning environment and continue to build school communities, and overly strict policies undermine this trust.

Instead of instituting policies that make the lives of students worse, it would have more of a positive impact if PPS focused on helping improve cell phone usage for learning and growth instead of distractions, or taught students how to properly manage screen time.

Last year's policy at Grant is far more workable and sustainable then anything of this magnitude. Continuing the pocket system or even changing it to make it more centered around guiding cell phone use rather than a total ban would be a much better alternative. 

The pocket system was just as effective when properly enforced, and far cheaper and less logistically complicated. Yondr requires either monitoring of the unlocking ports or using electronics to manually disable them. The former requires more security in the form of personnel or cameras, which would cost more funds. The latter would cause issues with students staying at school late, or leaving early. The current system is just as effective when enforced as this would be, maybe even more so, at a fraction of the cost.

The Grant Administration has continued to ramp up control of this policy, including enforced bag searches and forcing all 2200 student in through one main door.

Neutral information on Yondr:

https://time.com/6959626/yondr-schools-cell-phones/

Another similar petition with powerful arguments:

https://www.change.org/p/a-case-against-yondr-pouches-in-schools-preserving-student-autonomy-and-creativity

Article on funding issues faced in Oregon:

https://www.koin.com/news/education/oregon-school-superintendents-warn-of-education-funding-crisis-impact/