Starting this school year, Hyattsville Middle School (HMS) students are supposed to go phone-free throughout the academic day.
HMS is implementing the Yondr Phone-Free Schools Program and requiring students to lock their cell phones, smartwatches and AirPods in magnetic pouches as they arrive at school, according to an Aug. 5 letter from HMS Principal Chanita Stamper. Students are to hold on to these locked pouches, unlocking them at dismissal and leaving them at school.
“We believe this program will help our students grow in their ability to concentrate, build healthier peer relationships, and be more present throughout the school day,” Stamper said in her letter.
The school system instituted a new county-wide policy last academic year to address student use of social media and personal electronic devices (PEDs). The policy specifies, “At times when PED use is not permitted, PEDs must be turned off or on silent mode and stored in a backpack, book bag, pocket, purse, locker, vehicle, etc.”
The school board policy allows individual schools to implement their own cell phone policies to meet their specific needs. Nicholas Orem Middle School (NOMS) will continue to collect student cell phones and keep them secured in the main office throughout the school day, as it has done for the last four years, according to NOMS Principal Michelle Towles-Monroe’s online welcome letter.
Last November, the county school system announced that it was exploring updating its cell phone policies. “Cell phones have become a significant disruptor in the classroom, often creating environments that are less desirable for students to learn and for educators to teach,” then-Superintendent Millard House II said. “It is essential that we address this challenge thoughtfully, ensuring that policies are both effective and supportive of teaching and learning.”
County school board member Pamela Boozer-Strother (District 3) told the Life & Times that HMS parents advocated for consistent implementation of the school system’s cell phone policy last school year. “Principal Stamper has responded to those concerns with a plan,” she said.
Hyattsville resident Sarah Weber, whose oldest son is a seventh grader at HMS, led a group of parents asking Stamper to tighten the cell phone policy last school year, as students were still using their phones during the school day. “Teachers already face numerous challenges in managing their classrooms, and having to try to keep kids off of their phones was just one more issue,” Weber said in an email. “The kids also told us that students were not socializing and making friends at lunch, because most students were using their phones rather than interacting with one another.”
HMS held two family information sessions in August, and Stamper noted that students would receive training in September prior to the policy’s full implementation.
On its website, Yondr says that 86% of partnering schools report improved safety and student wellness, 84% see increased engagement in class, 68% note academic gains, and 44% experience a reduction in behavioral referrals. Yondr notes partnerships with schools in all 50 states and in more than 35 countries.