Manchester's use of the magnetically locking cellphone pouches, intended to promote phone-free school days, began with a pilot at Illing Middle School in 2023. The program was lauded by Gov. Ned Lamont, a consistent critic of cellphone usage in schools who stressed the benefits of phone-free schools again at his State of the State address this year.
After Manchester officials liked what they saw at Illing, the pouches and corresponding cellphone restrictions were expanded to all of the district's middle and high schools for the 2024-25 school year, with particular attention given to Manchester High School.
In a letter to MHS parents and families dated Tuesday, Principal Katelyn Miner said starting March 24, students will now be required to display their Yondr pouches and ensure they are locked before scanning into the school building. Students without Yondr pouches will have their phone sealed in an envelope and locked in their administrator's suite for the day.
"If a student states that they do not have a cellphone, they will be asked to sign in, confirming they do not have a phone in their possession," Miner said. "If a student states that they do not have a phone in their possession but are later found to have one, they will face disciplinary consequences."
Miner said students who refuse to follow the new procedure will be sent to their administrator's suite and have their parents contacted.
As for why, Miner said school staff have reminded and encouraged students over the last few months to keep their phones off and away, but a "considerable number" of students continue to use them in common areas and the number of cellphone incidents requiring staff response has increased.
"The end of third quarter is approaching rapidly on April 2 and the next two weeks are important as students demonstrate their learning, strive for honor roll and pass classes in order to meet graduation requirements," Miner said. "We appreciate your partnership in maintaining a focused learning environment as we seek to maintain and surpass the gains made in semester one in grades, attendance and behavior."
Miner discussed the cellphone use situation in more detail as part of a broader MHS update at a Board of Education meeting March 10, a little over a week before the new rules were issued to families.
Last spring, 95 percent of staff members said cellphone use was regularly a distraction in the classroom, Miner said. This spring, 29 percent said phones were occasionally a distraction while roughly 54 percent never or rarely considered phones an issue in their classrooms. MHS is also seeing fewer Fs and more As and Bs, and fewer disciplinary actions not related to cellphones.
"The shift has positively impacted student learning," Miner said. However, with continued use of cellphones in hallways and common areas, "it has gotten slippery."
Miner said MHS decided to reiterate the reasons for the cellphone restrictions around a month ago, sharing research about the impact and benefits. When that failed to move the needle, a school-wide livestream was held to discuss where the school stood.
"Remember all the thumbs down? That was fun," Miner said to a group of students attending the meeting. "We said, basically, this has to get better, we have a month to do it."
Miner said school officials were getting about 40 alerts per day on cellphone usage, a statistic she would like cut in half.
"We didn't see that data shift, nor have we," Miner said. "In fact, it's a little up in the past week."
Miner said a communication was sent to parents as a reminder of the high school's cellphone policy and some staff members were assembled to look into next steps to adjust the protocol.
"We're thrilled with the engagement in classrooms," Miner said. "We still have work to do, and that's OK."
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