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Date: 6/28/2022
SPRINGFIELD – The School Committee voted to approve the YONDR cell phone pilot program for Springfield Central High School during their June 23 meeting.
YONDR is a California-based company dedicated to producing mobile phone pouches. Recently, schools have embraced YONDR as a means of curbing significant increases in cell phone usage. YONDR made news earlier this year when the Chicopee School Committee adopted the pilot program in February for Chicopee High School.
Principal of Chicopee High School Carol Kruser explained that the program allows students to keep their phones with them, but they must be locked in the YONDR pouch during the school day. Kruser stressed that YONDR became a necessity due to student’s constant phone use.
“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 during the Chicopee School Committee’s Jan. 19 meeting.
Principal of Central High School Thaddeus S. Tokarz and Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick said they read about the success Chicopee High School had in executing YONDR after initial unease from students and parents. The two ultimately proposed YONDR in the School Committee’s Student and Parent Concerns subcommittee meeting, where the program received unanimous support from the subcommittee.
“Like all policies, we like to say ‘let’s give this a try in one school, work out the bugs and then bring it back to see if it is something we would like to do at a more significant level,’” said Warwick.
Tokarz provided an overview to the committee on how YONDR would operate. He explained that each student and staff member would receive a pouch and lock their phones away until the end of the day. Students would then unlock their phones during their last class of the day, with each room receiving the ability to unlock phones.
“We need to start regulating it and give the kids the abilities to self-regulate…The amount of text messages and hours students have been on the phone is more than you can imagine,” said Tokarz.
Tokarz envisions Central High School implementing the program a few weeks after the start of the school year. The principal also shared his beliefs that the program will improve socialization for students.
“[Students] are listening to music before they walk in the building…They aren’t associating or talking with anybody…As much as we try to take the earbuds out, it’s a challenge. This also gives us a remedy for the earbuds and all the other things that are distracting,” said Tokarz.
Chairperson of the Student and Parent Concerns subcommittee Barbara Gresham said the committee endured lengthy discussions about YONDR before approving their recommendation. Some of the topics included discussing how the program will be communicated to the public, how parents can contact students during the school day and how YONDR works during emergency situations.
Research and Development for YONDR Matthew Army explained how the program addresses a lack of systems in place for student’s phone use.
“This issue that we have with cell phones comes from adults. We created these super computers, we bought them for our children, but we never created a system of etiquette or boundaries surrounding it,” said Army. Army also shared that the pouch can easily be broken by students during emergency situations.
Mayor Domenic Sarno expressed his support for the program and its abilities to aid students’ concentration.
“I think this is fantastic…I think everybody wants everyone concentrating on schoolwork,” said Sarno.
The School Committee ultimately approved Central High School’s adoption of the YONDR Program in a unanimous vote.
The School Committee will reconvene in August.