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OPINION: Pouches don't equal progress: Why Yondr pouches are bad
OPINION: Pouches don't equal progress: Why Yondr pouches are bad
-------- www.overyondr.com
December 16, 2025
(CR News) - OPINION: 97% of students say they use their phones during the day at school, according to a Common Sense Media study. While that isn’t inherently bad, phones keep some students from being able to learn. That's why teachers and schools, like ours, have implemented no-phone policies that limit phone use during instructional time.
In my opinion, while it's gotten bad, everybody should have access to phones in case of an emergency, and I find that listening to music helps me focus while I work, but some schools are taking more drastic measures.
Recently, some schools have been purchasing Yondr pouches, in which you lock your smart devices. For students, it’s lame, but for teachers, it’s necessary to keep kids off their phones, though there are downsides to having these pouches.
One issue with these pouches is that, in an emergency, unless you happen to be right next to the pouch unlocker, you won’t be able to contact your family.
A Yondr pouch is about 30$ per pouch. If our school bought a Yondr pouch for every student, it would be about 35,000$; that’s only one school in a district that has 34 total. If there are an estimated 22,000 students in VPS (2023-2024 school year) that all got one pouch, it would cost about 660,000$, which is a cost most public school districts can’t afford.
Schools only have so many unlocking bases. This can cause hallways to become blocked and overcrowded. In my opinion, I believe that these are bad for schools because of safety and cost issues. If our school implemented this, there would probably be more outcry than there was when the phone policy changed last year.
Ms. Waller told CRnews, “In my experience, student reactions were mixed. Many accepted the policy and even acknowledged that it helped them stay focused and get more work done. A small number strongly resisted the change, and in a few cases, their parents expressed concerns as well. Some students initially tried to bend the rules—keeping phones in pockets or attempting to use them discreetly—but most eventually adjusted.” - Ms. Waller.
She also said, “It felt controversial for a few reasons. Parents and some staff were worried about the risk of phones being lost or stolen, especially since families invest a lot of money into those devices. Some students also felt very strongly that they had a personal right to access their phones during the school day and were surprised that a school policy could limit that. Because of those perspectives, not everyone agreed it was a good idea at first.”Compared to the phone policy we have now, Yondr pouches have many more downsides, and I recommend that administrators not add them to this district or any others.
*Opinion pieces do not reflect the views of CR News and its parent organization CRTV Media.
_____________________________________
By Nolan Sund
(CR News) - OPINION: 97% of students say they use their phones during the day at school, according to a Common Sense Media study. While that isn’t inherently bad, phones keep some students from being able to learn. That's why teachers and schools, like ours, have implemented no-phone policies that limit phone use during instructional time.
In my opinion, while it's gotten bad, everybody should have access to phones in case of an emergency, and I find that listening to music helps me focus while I work, but some schools are taking more drastic measures.
Recently, some schools have been purchasing Yondr pouches, in which you lock your smart devices. For students, it’s lame, but for teachers, it’s necessary to keep kids off their phones, though there are downsides to having these pouches.
One issue with these pouches is that, in an emergency, unless you happen to be right next to the pouch unlocker, you won’t be able to contact your family.
A Yondr pouch is about 30$ per pouch. If our school bought a Yondr pouch for every student, it would be about 35,000$; that’s only one school in a district that has 34 total. If there are an estimated 22,000 students in VPS (2023-2024 school year) that all got one pouch, it would cost about 660,000$, which is a cost most public school districts can’t afford.
Schools only have so many unlocking bases. This can cause hallways to become blocked and overcrowded. In my opinion, I believe that these are bad for schools because of safety and cost issues. If our school implemented this, there would probably be more outcry than there was when the phone policy changed last year.
Ms. Waller told CRnews, “In my experience, student reactions were mixed. Many accepted the policy and even acknowledged that it helped them stay focused and get more work done. A small number strongly resisted the change, and in a few cases, their parents expressed concerns as well. Some students initially tried to bend the rules—keeping phones in pockets or attempting to use them discreetly—but most eventually adjusted.” - Ms. Waller.
She also said, “It felt controversial for a few reasons. Parents and some staff were worried about the risk of phones being lost or stolen, especially since families invest a lot of money into those devices. Some students also felt very strongly that they had a personal right to access their phones during the school day and were surprised that a school policy could limit that. Because of those perspectives, not everyone agreed it was a good idea at first.”Compared to the phone policy we have now, Yondr pouches have many more downsides, and I recommend that administrators not add them to this district or any others.
*Opinion pieces do not reflect the views of CR News and its parent organization CRTV Media.
_____________________________________
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