YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown City School District is cracking down on mobile device usage during school hours for the upcoming year.

In a news release issued Tuesday, the district said it will use Yondr pouches for grades 5-12

“[i]n a proactive measure to promote academic engagement and in alignment with school districts nationwide.”

The release states that the policy is in response to House Bill 250, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in May, which requires every Ohio school district to establish an official policy governing cell phone usage during school hours, in order to minimize student cell phone use in K-12 schools.

The district states that YCSD already has a policy prohibiting electronic device use, but that the pouches will strengthen that policy and create “a distraction-free learning environment.”

Yondr pouches are designed to temporarily lock away cell phones and Bluetooth devices such as headphones and smartwatches during school hours. The students will place their belongings in the pouch, which will stay with their homeroom teacher until the end of the school day.

According to its website, Yondr was founded in 2014 by Graham Dugoni in San Francisco, California, and the original prototype was pitched door-to-door to schools and businesses that wished to reduce mobile device distractions.

“Research has shown that cell phone use has negative effects on mental health and student performance,” said YCSD Superintendent Jeremy Batchelor. “Implementing Yondr pouches will help decrease distractions and increase engagement, which is why we are here – for scholar-centered academic success.”

Youngstown joins several other districts across the state, including Akron, Cleveland, Marietta and Springfield City Schools in using the pouches to curb mobile device use among students during the school day.

Youngstown’s news release did not state how much the pouches cost, but Springfield, which implemented their use for grades 7-12, capped its cost for Yondr pouches at just over $124,000.

The Akron Beacon Journal reported in June 2023 that the cost to the district would be $180,636 the first year and $141,021 for the following two school years to use the pouches for middle school and high school students in the district. That article stated that Akron would use federal stimulus dollars and an Ohio School Safety Grant to pay for the first year costs.

The YCSD press release does not state how the district will cover the cost.

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