MARIETTA, Ga. — As students in the Marietta City Schools district head back to the classroom, their routines around cellphones are looking a bit different in some classrooms. The district had students at two schools are now locking up their cell phones during the day.
Students at Marietta Middle School -- one of the two schools included in the initiative -- were asked to lock their phones in Yondr pouches at the beginning of the day. Principal Diona Brown said, so far "it’s going really, really well."
"Our teachers have shared a lot of positive feedback about the Yondr pouches and how well the students are responding to them," she told 11Alive on Monday. "They said that students are actually looking up and more engaged in class, that they’re more focused."
Brown said the locking up of cell phones has made a significant difference, pointing to increased focus and learning in the classrooms.
"I think the biggest impact has been the relationships with the students with their peers. That’s been significant," she noted. "We’ve just seen a huge uptick in how students interact with each other, how they’re communicating with each other, and even with adults."
"That’s been really exciting to see the relationship piece just thriving," she added.
The pouches have been adopted at several districts in the metro and beyond. They work with the help of a magnetic mechanism that can only be unlocked by teachers.
11Alive spoke with students at the school on Monday. Abby Lowe described how she noticed students are paying attention more in class and talking with each other.
"My phone is actually in a pouch right now," shared Caitlyn Dubose, a seventh grader at the school. "So, I think they’re pretty effective because no one can seem to get them unlocked, no matter how many times they try. So, I think they’re working out pretty good."
She added she has mixed feeling about the initiative.
"I’m half-and-half with it," Dubose admitted. "I think it’s definitely helping kids focus a little bit more, but, then again, I don’t think it’s necessary because there are some students that would just not use their phones."
But Brown, the principal, added that along with making a "significant difference" in the school, she thinks it takes the "pressure" off kids.
"I think that there used to be this pressure for kids to constantly look at what the text message was, what the notification was that was coming up for them," Brown described. "Now, I think that pressure’s gone away because they know that they can’t access their phone until the end of the day."
Brown said she would recommend the use of pouches to anyone.