Principal Marla Travis, inspired by charging stations she saw at an airport, had lock boxes installed in every classroom at West Philadelphia High School for students to store their phones.
Less than a mile away at James Rhoads Elementary, a K-8 school in the Mill Creek neighborhood, Principal Megan Wapner was an early adopter of cellphone pouches. The school will begin its fourth year using the system when classes start Monday.
Both schools report positive results from their distinct efforts to keep students from becoming distracted by notifications and social media. Children, after a while, have few problems abiding by the policies, administrators and climate staff said.
The School District of Philadelphia has a general rule prohibiting student cellphone use in the classroom. However, each individual school principal has leeway on how to enforce the policy, with the option of using discretionary funds to purchase products aimed at separating students from their phones.
Ian Nickischer, a middle school English Language Arts teacher at Rhoads, said students have been more engaged in his classes since the school began mandating that they use Yondr pouches to lock up their devices.
“I can’t compete with TikTok,” he said. “I can’t compete with Instagram reels. I’m funny, but I’m not that funny.”
Students at West Philadelphia High, located at 49th and Chestnut streets, place their phones in a metallic box with a transparent door when they walk into a room. They are given a number, and the teacher returns their device when the bell rings.
Phone use is permitted during the 4- to 5-minute break between classes and in the lunchroom. Math and science teachers also occasionally allow the devices to be incorporated into a specific lesson.
“We didn’t want to just go away from phones throughout the whole school day because we know how important that is to students,” said Eugene Lett Jr., a climate manager at the high school. “Parents want to know if their students are okay throughout the school day.
“We want our kids to have that freedom,” he added.
West Philadelphia High’s protocol could run afoul of a proposed statewide “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban that has been championed by Gov. Josh Shapiro. Students would generally be barred from accessing their devices from the time they arrive until dismissal. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate have passed versions of the ban but have yet to agree on a finalized law.
Travis envisions absences increasing if a complete cellphone prohibition is enacted.
“I love our governor,” Travis said. “But my most fervent wish is that my children come to school. And I would not want a phone to be a barrier for children coming to school.”
The school previously used pouches but shifted to the new arrangement at the beginning of last year. Travis said the boxes are more cost-effective — at about $35 apiece — and have worked better for her school.
Rhoads essentially already has a bell-to-bell ban. Each student in grades 3 through 8 receives a Yonder pouch, which they take home each day. Children are encouraged to write their names and decorate their pouches.
As students walk through the schoolyard in the morning, climate staff check to make sure their pouches are present and locked. Just before 3 p.m., the same employees stand at exits with magnetic devices to undo the locks at the top of each pouch. Some schools utilize phones in math lessons, but Rhoads provides calculators to students.
“Some parents don’t like it because they want to be able to call their children,” climate manager Lamond Muhammad said. “But if we’re in school, the child should be learning. If you need to get in contact with the child, then you could call the main office. That’s how I grew up in school.”
Though social media clips abound showing ways to break into the pouches, Wapner said vandalism has not been a problem in recent years.
Before the Yonder product was brought in, students engaged in fights would sometimes call peers from other schools, leading to mass altercations outside, according to Muhammad. He said kids would call their parents following discipline, leading to irate adults arriving and demanding meetings.
Rhoads middle school ELA teacher Rafael Schnieder said not having ready access to phones gives students a “cool down time” to process their feelings.
In the event of an emergency, students need to be listening to directions from teachers and other school staff, not contacting their families, Wapner said. The school has several ways to reach parents, through robocalls and online portal messages, she added.
Becoming a “cellphone-free” school has also introduced a major shift in social dynamics, according to Wapner. Prior to the pouches, Rhoads students were not interacting with each other at lunch or recess, she said.
“They were completely mesmerized by their phones,” Wapner explained. “In order to engage our students, we want them to be present in the moment, even in the cafeteria, at study hall, when they’re on trips.”
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School District of Philadelphia,
James Rhoads Elementary,
West Philadelphia High School