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Date: 1/25/2022
CHICOPEE – With students’ smartphone usage continuing to skyrocket, Chicopee High School Principal Carol Kruser introduced a new pilot program that would prohibit student phone use during the Jan. 19 School Committee meeting.
The principal highlighted the program as an avenue of improving the under-performing school, sharing that a drastic, post-pandemic increase in cell phone usage continues to distract students.
“I feel it is my duty as principal to think outside the box. It is clear to that the number one problem preventing my students from engaging in class and progressing in their academics is their addiction to cell phones,” said Kruser.
Kruser shared the school initially allowed students to utilize smartphones at lunch time, but cited the pandemic and cell phone’s addictive appeals as a driving forces behind students’ newfound relationships to their phones.
“It’s almost the entire school without exception. We are to the point where constantly asking them to get off their phone is similar to constantly asking a smoker to stop smoking when all they want to do is to continue to smoke,” said Kruser, who stressed that the overuse of cellphones has become a national problem.
With teachers requesting more assistance in controlling technology dependency, Kruser said she wants to incorporate a pilot program for the school entitled Yondr. The program would utilize the California-based company to provide personal pouches for students to store their phone in during the school day, with a magnetic device on the pouches locking the phones in a protected space, according to Kruser. From there, students would keep their phones throughout the day, but would not be able to access them except for emergencies.
Kruser expressed her intentions to implement the program from post-February break this year to the end of the school year. The principal said she expects significant pushback from students about the program initially, but stressed that the pouches are being utilized to improve students’ performance. “This is to help them focus and re-acclimate to school,” said Kruser.
The School Committee raised a series of questions about enforcing the program and whether the Yondr pouches will achieve a desired impact on students.
Ward 5 member Grace Schofield and Ward 9 member Ronald Benard expressed support for the program as a means of refocusing students on curriculum.
Ward 2 School Committee member David Barsalou countered their perspectives, believing that the timing for implementing such a program isn’t ideal as the pandemic still playing a disruptive role.
“It’s far from normal what kids are dealing with in the classroom. I would rather wait and see,” said Barsalou.
The School Committee shared they will discuss the program in a subcommittee meeting before taking a vote on the matter. The committee will meet again on Feb. 2.