Last school year Yondr pouches were introduced, and they were met with many mixed reviews from the students. Many bought them, understanding that they were necessary for the 2019-2020 school year. If students did not get a Yondr, they would either have to leave their phones in their cars and risk the weather damaging their phones, or not have them with them at all. But everyone understood the consequences and was okay with it.
But are they truly necessary during a pandemic? Well, let’s look at the evidence for and against Yondrs. Yes, they do keep the students off of their phones during class, which is the reason they were instituted in the school. But getting a Yondr did not guarantee students would not get in trouble, since if their phones went off they went to in-school suspension for the day. Last year this was an acceptable option for the disrespect the students were showing their teachers by being ons their phone.
This school year most students are just happy to be back in the building, with their cell phones put away, unless a teacher granted them permission. We must remember that this school year is different then last year, with us going to school two days a week, and sports being limited to only a few. Also with COVID-19, Yondr pouches are one more contamination risk. Lockers were gotten rid of because they posed too much of a risk, but aren’t Yondr pouches also risks for contamination? Even with the students taking them home each night, there are still going to be lots of people touching magnets to unlock them. With the students taking them home, there is a lot of pressure being put on the students to make sure their Yondr pouches are always safe and taken care of. All it would take is one little sibling with sticky fingers to take a Yondr pouch and the student is now out 15 dollars and unable to take a phone to school.
Even last school year, many students believed that Yondrs should be used as a form of punishment for students who have cell phone violations, not a punishment for the entire student body. Now is an even better time to institute this idea. Since the student body will be smaller each day, the staff can keep a better eye on children and potential phone violations. Everyone can agree that this school year has already been tough, with limited social time and more being asked of the students. With all that has been taken from the student body the past six months, don’t they deserve the chance to have their phones?