The Future School of Fort Smith is going phone-free in the new year. Starting with the spring semester in January, the school will provide Yondr pouches for all students in order to create a safer, more focused learning environment, said Superintendent Boyd Logan.
The school has been cellphone free all year, but there has been some confusion about when phones are allowed, when they are not, who can use them and who cannot, Logan said.
“There has been a little bit of a gray area with phones, and we decided all of our students deserve to learn in a distraction free environment,” he said.
Studies show that having such an environment leads to better learning, improved mental health, and stronger connections in school, a post on the Future School Facebook page said.
“We understand that phones are essential tools in 21st Century learning, but they can also be a distraction. Kids who really need instruction are often the ones turning to their phones for a distraction, especially when they are grappling with instruction,” Logan said.
In January, each student will be provided a Yondr pouch, much like they are their Chromebooks each school year, Logan said. The pouches will stay them through the end of the year. When students enter the daily school, they will place their phones in Yondr pouches, keeping phones secure but inaccessible until dismissal. Once inside a “phone free area” the pouches automatically lock, according to the Yondr website. Students maintain possession of their phones at all times.
To use their phone at any time, students can step outside the phone-free zone and tap their pouch on an unlocking base, the website states.
Parents needing to reach their student can contact the school’s front office, which is fully staffed. All classes are also equipped with landlines, ensuring communication in the event of an emergency, and students will still have their Chromebooks and can email parents directly if needed.
Logan said administration has received positive feedback about the plan to use the Yondr pouches.
“I’m part of other communities that use them. There has been pushback from several of the stakeholders at other schools. But while we’ve had some students express concern, we’ve mostly had positive feedback,” Logan said. “The data shows this increases learning and decreases distraction.”
