Rural School District Adopts Controversial System to Lock Student Cell Phones at School

THORNDALE, TX – A small, rural school district in central Texas has adopted a policy that will make students secure their cell phones in a bag during the school day to reduce distractions and cyber bullying.  Thorndale ISD Superintendent Adam Ivy notified parents and students in a letter preparing for the upcoming school year.  

The program, called Yondr, requires students to secure their phones in a personal pouch that they will keep with them during the day. Students must bring the pouch to and from school daily. When students leave school, they tap the pouch to an unlocking base to access their phones, smart watches and wireless earbuds.

The letter also states that law enforcement believes it is safer for students to not use phones during emergency situations. In Uvalde, where a gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers, students who were in the classroom with the gunman made calls to 911. Law enforcement has since been criticized for its response to the incident. 

"Several staff members traveled to Corrigan-Camden ISD this past spring to see how they are using this program and how it is working. We had the opportunity to talk to administrators, teachers and students.  This district is very similar in size and demographic makeup to Thorndale. They said that it has been transformative." wrote Ivy. "They said that classroom engagement is much better, student distraction is far lower and the time spent chasing down cyberbullying and cyber safety issues has almost been non-existent.  The teachers we talked to said that this system made a huge difference in how their classrooms function.  It is a tool that helps them enforce the rules while at the same time greatly reducing distractions.   They said that they do not believe they could have gotten the results they were looking for with a policy on its own.  We also talked to students and they basically said they got used to the YONDR program quickly and that it is just part of their daily routine now.   We asked about many different things including consequences, what to do in a lockdown, how parents can communicate with students, if there were any times that phones needed to be used, how to handle smart watches and airpods, etc… and they were able to say that they had found no credible reason not to implement the program and that the benefits have completely outweighed any growing pains.  We have also been in contact with several other schools that are using this program and have gotten very similar feedback. We have spent a lot of time discussing this and trying to play devil’s advocate to look for holes in the system.  After much thought, prayer and discussion we believe that this will absolutely be in the best interest of our students' education, health and safety, which is the litmus test we use for all such decisions." 

The letter’s frequently asked questions section said law enforcement believes it safer for students to refrain from using devices in emergency situations. But the district is working on a plan for when devices are necessary for lockdown situations. 

Students who do not follow school rules will face $15 fines on each offense and suspension days based on the number of offenses.