[News] Yondr Pouches: A Tale of Two Perspectives

In 2017, CHAH first embraced the use of Yondr pouches. Yondr pouches are lockable pouches that securely seal electronics during certain events to keep students from using their cellphones. The concept of Yondr pouches is smart; however, there are many perspectives circulating this issue. So the real question being asked here is…are Yondr pouches worth it?

Many people argue against the idea of Yondr pouches. On one hand, the effectiveness of Yondr pouches can be questioned, as certain individuals at CHAH bypass the restrictions, defeating the purpose of Yondr pouches. On the other hand, other individuals strongly side with the idea of phone pouches, and believe that locking devices away enhances our engagement in school and helps us focus more. Both of these different perspectives are very reasonable which raises questions with uncertain answers. 

An anonymous sophomore who currently attends CHAH disagrees with this idea and said, “..I feel worried because someone can intrude and hurt us and I can’t ask for help…” Not only does this student have a valid point, but no student should not have to question their safety especially in life threatening situations. This sophomore also suggested a better alternative, mentioning “teachers collecting our phones at the beginning of each period and giving them back to us at the end.” Every student’s voice should be valued, respected, and heard, regardless if they hold power or lack authority.

Even though some may oppose this concept, there are others who fully support it. We spoke with two staff members who asked to remain anonymous. One source believes in students having their phone away and focusing in class. They said, “I thought students had UTIs because of the amount of times students would go to the bathroom in one day. However, the next day we implemented the Yondr pouch, and everyone was cured.” 

This source understands that students are worried about an intruder attacking CHAH and they cannot contact help. They says that kids shouldn’t have their phones because “it’s an intense and long game of hide and seek, and you should be hiding instead of calling your mom telling her where you’re hiding.”  We disagree with this source on this point, because that might be one of the last times we can get in contact with out loved ones. 

On the other hand, some people may think it’s in between yes or no for the concept of Yondr. Our second anonymous source believes that the concept of pouches is good for some students that don’t get off the phone nor listen in class. They said, “I do understand it for some students because a lot of kids are addicted to their phones and all they do is look at it but other students I feel like they have control, they know when they have to put it away and they do it if they are told so. So I think it depends on the student.” We agree with what this source said here–it’s true most students do put their phones away if they are told to, but on the other hand there are some students that don’t get off the phone at all in school.

Ultimately, we believe Yondr pouches are not worth it. They compromise student safety by preventing access to phones in emergencies. Additionally, the money spent on Yondr pouches, which can be damaged or broken and then repaired at an additional cost, could be better used to hire more teachers.