Cell Phone Free Schools
East St. Louis School District 189 formed a task committee in Fall 2024 to develop a plan for creating a cell phone-free learning environment in our secondary schools by utilizing Yondr pouches. We greatly appreciate the valuable feedback from guardians, staff, and students throughout this process.
The use of Yondr pouches was officially implemented in our secondary schools in January 2025, enhancing focus, engagement, and the overall learning experience.
Yondr Pouches are a tool for our students to engage in distraction-free, in-person connection throughout the school day. Research has shown that a distraction-free environment for students has improved focus and engagement both in the classroom and socially. Our goal in implementing this new initiative is to encourage students to do just that: focus on the present moment and make the most of every school day!
YONDR CELL PHONE POUCH
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why is the District using the Yondr system?
We want our students to be engaged in their learning and in appropriate interpersonal social interaction throughout the day. Phones had become a distraction within the school day for many students, and for teachers who have to constantly monitor students for phone use during class and school activities. Additionally, the District had seen an increase in discipline related to cyberbullying and the circulation of inappropriate videos and pictures. The Yondr system simply assists the District in enforcing the policy currently in place regarding phones on campus.
What if I want to reach my child during the school day?
We want our students to be engaged in their learning. If you need to contact your child during the school day, please contact the main office. Students are also each assigned a chromebook and have access to email throughout the day.
Will my child’s phone be locked away?
Current School District 189 policy is for a student’s phone to be turned off and put away in a backpack during the school day. The Yondr pouch does not change that policy, instead, it is a tool to help enforce it. Your child will put their phone in the Yondr pouch and keep it with them, in their backpack, throughout the instructional day. When the final bell rings, students will unlock the pouch to access their phones.
Will my student’s phone be safe?
Students are in possession of their phone - in their Yondr pouch - for the entire school day. We will advise students to store the pouch in their backpacks where it is completely safe. The pouch itself is made of a soft fabric padding that provides protection to the phone while stored.
What if there is a school emergency?
In case of a school emergency, we direct our students to safety first, following our school emergency preparedness protocol.
In the event of an emergency lockdown, school staff will direct students according to emergency preparedness protocol. Student cell phone use during this time has the potential to endanger the safety of the student using the phone and all students and staff within that classroom.
It is the advisement of National School Safety and Security Services that cell phone use during an emergency creates a less safe school emergency response. Specifically:
● Cell phone use during crisis management overloads telephone systems and renders them useless.
● Calls, texts, and other outside communications have the potential to alert a dangerous individual to the location of students and staff during a lockdown.
● Cell phone use accelerates the unintentional (and potentially intentional) spread of misinformation, rumors, and fear.
● Cell phone use, texting, and other outside communications by students during a crisis also have the potential to cause parents to flock to school at a time when school and public safety officials may need parents to be away from the school site due to evacuations, emergency response, and/or other tactical or safety reasons. This could actually delay or otherwise hinder timely and efficient parent-student reunification. It could also potentially put parents into a zone of harm.