Cell Phone policy

E. Washington Rhodes – Yondr Parent Letter Draft .docx

Dear Parents,

We are working to make our school a phone-free space to improve teaching and learning using a system called Yondr. Implementation will take place Monday, March 11, 2024. We are encouraging parents to support this effort as we have had a number of challenges regarding cell phone use in class. Yondr has been implemented in over 1,000 schools across 21 countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment.

We believe that phones have great utility. We have also found that learning and social behavior improve drastically when students are fully engaged with their teachers and classmates.

The Yondr Program utilizes a simple, secure pouch that stores a phone. Upon entering the building, every middle school scholar 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 at which time they will be collected and assessed for damage. Students will NOT take the pouches home however they are responsible for their pouch at all times while in the school building.

Yondr recently surveyed over 900 school partners to measure the effects of creating phone-free educational environments. These schools achieved notable progress in multiple areas:

●  65% of schools saw an improvement in academic performance
●  74% of schools saw an improvement in student behavior
●  83% of schools saw an improvement in student engagement in the classroom

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school directly at 215-400-7060, or attend one of our weekly SAC meetings where we discuss all the changes and provide ways you all can support the school and your scholars education Thursdays, at noon in person and here (virtually).

If there is an emergency and you would like to get in contact with your child, please reach out to Lynn Shirley, Climate Manager or Dean Scott at 215-400-7060.

In an effort to best serve your child, we appreciate your full support in adoption of the Yondr Program at our school.

Thank you,

Please see the link above for the full document.