Yondr Phone Pouches Have Arrived for SY23-24

Yondr Pouches

We are excited to welcome back all of our scholars for the 2023-2024 school year. As you may be aware, the District will use the Yondr Pouch phone locking system at the high school and middle school buildings for the 2023-2024 school year. The Yondr Pouch system is a pouch where students will place their phones inside during the school day. The purpose of implementing Yondr Pouches at the secondary level is to improve the academic learning environment and help to ensure our scholars can focus on learning and maintain distraction-free academic environments in order to do their best.

Riverview Gardens High School began distributing Yondr Pouches on Monday, Aug. 21 (the first day of school) and we are pleased to see that most scholars have complied with the expectations and placed their phones in the Yondr Pouches without disruption. 

Central Middle and Westview Middle Schools will begin utilizing Yondr Pouches on Tuesday, Sept. 5. However, the middle school campuses are already phone-free zones, requiring scholars to power down and secure their devices at the start of the school day. 

Our team has discovered a number of damaged or destroyed Yondr Pouches on the high school campus. Please note that Yondr Pouches are considered school property, much like Chromebooks or other devices. Destruction of school property, including Yondr Bags, is subject to disciplinary action in accordance with policies EHBA and JGR2. 

Purposefully damaging, destroying or losing a Yondr Bag could result in the following consequences:

  • A replacement fee

  • Loss of the right to attend Homecoming, Prom and other dances/parties

  • Loss of the right to attend sporting events

  • Loss of the right to attend field trips or participate in other activities and events

  • Parent Conference

  • Suspension

Scholars at the high school and middle schools will be assigned a Yondr Pouch for the entire school year. The scholars are responsible for bringing their Yondr Pouch to school each day. Scholars who arrive to campus without a Yondr Pouch must turn in their phones to a school administrator at the start of the day. The device will then be returned at the end of the day.

Administrators and district security officers will confiscate the phone of any scholar if it is not secured inside of a Yondr Pouch during the school day. If a phone is confiscated, a parent must report to the school to retrieve the confiscated device. It will not be released to the scholar. 

If a scholar must use their phone for an approved educational purpose, a building administrator will temporarily unlock their device.

In case of emergency, all buildings and schools have unlocking devices available. However, in emergency situations, all scholars should first pay attention to the instructions given by teachers, administrators and the security team to ensure the safety of all.

We thank you for your continued support as we work to improve the academic learning environment in the Riverview Gardens School District. We continue to rely on scholars, parents, staff and community support to help ensure a safe and effective space for our children to learn. 

Yondr Pouches have been a game-changer in education! Schools that have implemented Yondr Pouches have reported the following improvements:

  • 74% of schools saw an improvement in student behavior and a reduction in suspension rates; 

  • Schools experienced a 25% reduction in fights due to online bullying and social media harassment;

  • 65% improvement in academic performance;

  • 83% of schools saw an improvement in student engagement. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YONDR POUCH FAQs


  1. What is a Yondr Pouch?

Yondr creates phone-free spaces for artists, comedians, teachers, organizations and more. The Yondr Pouch system is a pouch where students will place their phones inside during the school day. However, the pouch will allow students to maintain possession of their phones at all times. Phones will be powered off and locked inside the Yondr Pouch during the school day and unlocked at dismissal.

  1. How does it work?

Upon arrival at the school, all phones are turned off and placed in Yondr Pouches by students and will be unlocked at the end of the school day, upon dismissal, during emergencies or if the phone is needed for educational purposes. Students maintain possession of their phones at all times. 

  1. What happens in the event of an emergency?

Follow school safety protocols (safety first). Students should not be on their phones, but rather following school staff instructions during an emergency. Once students are in a safe location, they will be able to quickly open their pouch and use their device

  1. What if a staff member sees a student’s phone outside their Yondr Pouch?

The administration will be notified. They will collect the phone which must be picked up by a parent. 

  1. What if a student damages their Yondr Pouch?

The administration will be notified. The phone/pouch will be collected and students may be charged a replacement fee.  

 

  1. What if a student forgets their pouch?

Their phone will be collected and stored in a phone locker or other secured administrative area. They will get their phone back at the end of the day and be reminded to remember their pouch the next morning.   

 

  1. What if I need to contact my child during school hours?

Call the main office of the school (or the designated phone number), and they will connect you with your child. However, calls for students should be limited to emergencies only.