After Thanksgiving break, McKay, Sprague High Schools and Straub, Stephens Middle Schools have implemented the use of Yondr pouches. These pouches use a magnetic lock to secure phones for the school day.
Phone Protocols
When students arrive at school they will put their phones, (along with smartwatches and AirPods), in the pouches to be electronically locked until the end of the school day. Then, students will go to unlocking stations to get their devices back. Students with documented medical needs will use pouches with a Velcro seal to be able to use their phones or watches when they need to.
If there is an emergency, students will not be able to use phones and parents will be contacted via Parentsquare. There will also be unlocking stations ready if they are needed.
Other Schools Using Yondr Pouches
Salem-Keizer schools are not the first to use Yondr pouches in Oregon. North Clackamas school district has implemented the use of these pouches across its middle, high and charter schools since the fall of the 2024-2025 school year. The school district reports use of fewer drugs like vaping are being used because students can not use their phones to coordinate drug exchange meetups.
Students across schools using Yondr pouches have found ways to still use their phones, even with the metal locks. Some students put burner phones or rocks in the pouches and others have bought electronic unlocking kits that work on the pouches.“But at the end of the day, they are also hiding their phones all day and keeping them off and away. It is not really about the pouch. The pouch is a clear indicator that we are serious about the policy.” Ryan Richardson, associate director of secondary and high school programs at North Clackamas said.
Effectiveness So Far
Some students say that the only reason the phone pouches are working is because the punishment for having phones out is detention or a $30 fine if they get rid of the pouches.
“The reason people are not using their phone is not because of the pouch necessarily. It is because of the policy that now you go to detention if you get caught,” Ashwin Krishnaswamy, a senior at Mercer Island High School said.
A concern around the restriction of phones is the inability to be able to contact relatives for important news. However, in Salem-Keizer schools, students will still be able to use their school computers to email their parents. Or, if it is an emergency, students can call their parents using a phone at the front office.