As we began planning for the 2025-26 school year, we made an important decision regarding cell phones. Beginning on August 12th (the first day of school), students will no longer be able to access their cell phones during the school day. When students arrive on campus, before entering the building, they will be responsible for placing their cell phone in a school-issued Yondr pouch.
Yondr has been implemented in thousands of schools across 27 countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment. Based on teacher, student, and family feedback at the end of the school year, cell phones have continued to be a significant distraction during the HCA school day and create ongoing problems that teachers and administrators have to address.
We believe that phones have great utility. We have also found that learning and student mental health improve drastically when students are fully present with their teachers and classmates. While we tried to implement an expectation of students putting phones in shoe pockets upon entering a classroom, students would frequently ‘forget,’ sneak their phone out of the pocket when going somewhere in the building or argue with teachers about why they don’t need to comply. All of these behaviors were frequently observed by our administrators, and it became apparent that we needed to institute a change.
The Yondr Program utilizes a simple, secure pouch that stores a phone. Every student will secure their phone in a personally assigned Yondr pouch when they arrive at school. Students will maintain possession of their phones and will not use them until their pouches are opened at the end of the school day. Students are required to bring their Yondr pouch to and from school each day and are responsible for their pouch at all times. At the end of the school day, students will get their Yondr pouch unlocked by a teacher or administrator as they leave. We are working through a plan to ensure students will have access to unlock their phones immediately after the bell rings and there will be no disruption to our dismissal process.
In an annual survey of over 1,200 schools that implemented the Yondr Program:
86% saw a positive impact on student safety and wellness
84% saw a positive change in student engagement
72% saw a positive change in student behavior
68% saw a positive change in academic performance
We heavily researched this program during the Spring semester and spoke with teachers and administrators in neighboring schools to get honest feedback before making a decision. Currently, all of Terrell ISD, Richardson ISD middle and high schools, Dallas Christian School, and Trinity Christian Academy have implemented the Yondr program and have said that student engagement and learning have increased, along with having more well-rounded and happy students.
In the Summer of 2024, our administration team read The Anxious Generation. This book is eye-opening, full of empirical data and backed by scientific research, as it explains how our children have moved from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood and the detrimental effects this is having on their health. We have come to realize, now more than ever, the importance of eliminating student phone usage during the school day to cultivate a rich learning environment where students feel safe and are free from distractions.
Students, we know this new expectation may be accompanied by frustration and annoyance on your end and that is understandable. Please know our heart and that we want you to be able to learn with minimal distractions and be able to feel 100% present when you are at school. Your brains are growing and developing at rapid rates and you battle so many things on the daily as it is, let us take this battle off the table so that you can focus on more important things.
We are happy to answer any and all questions, but encourage you to watch this video that explains the Yondr program, where many of your questions will be answered.
Our expectation when a student enters any HCA school building during the hours of 7:45AM-3:30PM is that they have their phone placed in their Yondr pouch and their phone is placed on airplane mode. As long as a phone is in airplane mode, there will not be the consistent buzzing of notifications, but parents will still have the ability to see where their student is.
If at any point during the day, a staff member sees a student with their cell phone out, they will pick it up and turn it in to Mrs. Leal, and a parent must come to pick it up. There will be no exception to this rule.