HOPEWELL, Va. -- It has been a unique start to the school year in Hopewell. Hopewell City Schools began the 20022-23 school year as the only school district in Central Virginia to implement its own "phone pouch policy."
Students in middle and high schools must put their cell phones in a magnetized Yondr pouch that can be sealed shut at points of entry in the school. The pouches can be opened when students leave the school building for the day.
Since its inception, the policy has been a point of concern for parents regarding their child's access to their cell phones in case of an emergency.
Dominic Holloway Sr., who has two children in middle school and two children in high school, supports the move.
"I'm personally pleased with the results," Holloway Sr. said.
Hopewell High administrators reported a 99% compliance rate since the program rolled out the first week of school.
"The teachers have been very happy because they've been able to see the students are being interactive with one another, as well as with the teacher, so they are more engaged, and what we need is engagement in order for them to learn," Hopewell Schools spokesperson Byron Davis said.
Holloway Sr., who is currently running for Hopewell City Council, said he's heard concerns from parents, including some concerns about students breaking the $15 school-provided pouches.
"People are still picking locks from the 1900s," he said. "It's something that can happen."
"The advantage of any tool is that you use it as it's made to be used," Davis said. "You can break anything. I could be breaking my car right now, but why would I want to do that?"
If a student does break or lose their pouch, they are responsible for purchasing a new one.
Davis said some students have tried to sneak in multiple phones, sliding through checkpoints at different points of entry requiring phones to be locked away.
"The hope is that they're not going to try to be sly about it, but that's where there are additional checks for that part," Davis said. "And if they make it through the checks being sly, and they're caught on the other side, then there are consequences there."
The move comes as the district tries to keep students safe in school, in addition to having metal detectors at points of entry. Davis said the district has coordinated safety protocols for contacting parents and guardians should an emergency take place.
"Here, you can have students that coordinate a fight or coordinate some other problem in a way that's not only working against our purpose of instruction, but it's also undermining safety," Davis said. "If you don't have somebody who is in control and command of the safety situation, you end up having all sorts of people starting to show up and starting to block the emergency services that are trying to get in. Cell towers end up being blocked where people can't be able to communicate because they're being overwhelmed, so it actually reduces the overall safety plans that we've put in place in order to protect students."
Davis said students still have access to technology while in school, through the district's one-to-one computer program.
There are exceptions for students who have special medical needs.
Families do have to provide medical documentation to be given a special pouch that is not magnetized and can be opened at any time.
"In other cases, a student may be having an emergency during the day or be having a really rough day where they ask permission to be able to go to the office, to be able to have their pouch open and use their phone, and in many cases, that's permitted," Davis said.
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