Cell Phone Storage Pilot Program

Principals volunteered to take part, and schools were chosen throughout the school division to offer a varied participant sample.

The goal of the pilot is to assess the use of storage pouches as an effective means of supporting the new APS policies for cell phones and devices. This will inform APS decisions regarding possible future division-wide implementation in future school years. It also helps to take the management of personal device use out of teachers’ hands, so that they can focus on instruction. This is part of APS efforts as we prepare to implement Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order, announced in July 2024. The order will require all Virginia schools to ensure students’ personal devices remain off and away from bell to bell, effective in January 2025.

APS will collect feedback and survey data from all APS schools quarterly on the new cell phone procedures. This data will allow APS to assess parent, staff and student feedback that will help adjust our procedures and make future decisions. APS will also continue to monitor academic progress, behavior and other indicators against benchmarks throughout the year to measure the success of the device-free environment.

Every student in the pilot program will be provided a personally assigned pouch at no cost to families. Students must bring their pouch to school with them each day. The pouch is the responsibility of the student for the entire year.

1. As students arrive at school, they will place their phones in silent or airplane mode when the first bell sounds.
2. Smart Watches do not need to be secured in the pouch but must be placed in silent or airplane mode.
3. Pouches will then be placed inside their backpacks and secured.
4. The cell phone policy will be enforced bell to bell each school day for all grade levels. 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 an unlocking station.
5. When leaving school, students will use a base to unlock their pouch and retrieve their phone.

It will run from Sept. 19 through the end of the 2024-25 school year.

Pouches will be delivered to the pilot schools the week of Sept. 9 and schools will distribute pouches on the week of Sept. 16.

If a student damages their pouch, school staff will collect the phone/pouch and send it to the front office for the remainder of the school day. If a student damages or loses their pouch, the student will be charged a $30 replacement fee.

If a student forgets their pouch, they can get a replacement pouch for the day at the front office. They must return the pouch at the end of the day. If a student consistently forgets their pouch, it will be considered lost. Parents/guardians will be notified, and a replacement pouch will be provided at the student’s expense.

Students who currently require access to a cell phone or another device, for medical reasons or for an accommodation to access the curriculum, will continue to have such access. Students who need to access their devices for a medical need or accommodation will be given Velcro pouches that can be accessed as needed.

Teachers will be directed not to use cell phones for instructional activities at the storage pilot schools.

The pilot program only applies to instructional time. Please contact your child’s school regarding its policy for after-school programming. 

After a referral is submitted, the administrator will respond in alignment with Arlington Public Schools Code of Conduct procedures. The device may be confiscated by an administrator who will request that the parent/guardian come in to collect the device and have a discussion about the student’s noncompliance. If noncompliance continues, progressive measures of discipline will be used as alternatives to suspension to the maximum extent possible and consultation should be had with the Office of School Culture and Climate.

The pilot investment for the four pilot schools totals $130,000.

The Yondr Program utilizes a simple, secure pouch that stores a phone. 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

Phones never leave the possession of the students, unless confiscated for failure to comply with guidelines and expectations.

Students can unlock their devices at school just before an approved early dismissal. If they need to return to school, the pouch will be locked upon re-entry. Administrators will all have unlocking devices on hand and there will also be stationary unlocking stations near all entrances and exits.

The student may return to school to unlock their phone before the last late bus leaves. Otherwise, they will have to wait until the next morning’s arrival.

No. Students cannot opt out of the pilot program. However, exemptions will be considered to accommodate students with IEPs and/or medical reasons.

Staff partnered with the vendor, Yondr, to review the facility and determine the needed quantity of unlocking station locations in each school to maintain a safe and timely dismissal process at each school. Some schools will place unlocking stations on moveable carts initially to allow administrators observe student flow prior to permanent installation. Unlocking stations will be located near primary entrances and exits to allow for quick, hassle-free unlocking prior to dismissal. Additionally, all administrators will have the ability to assist students and staff with unlocking them as needed.

When pouches are distributed, each one will be numerically assigned to a student. School staff will record the pouch assignments, but students will be personally responsible for their pouch for the duration of the school year and always keep their pouch with them during the school day.

Individual teachers will not be able to unlock the pouches. The goal of the new cell phone rules and pilot is to take the management of personal devices out of teachers’ hands so they can focus on instruction. All administrators will have a portable unlocking pad in the event it is needed.

To reach your student, contact your school’s front office.

Our students and staff regularly practice lockdown drills and are directed to follow our emergency response plans. Every classroom is equipped with a phone intercom in case of emergency. All schools have an extensive intrusion alarm system, which is monitored 24/7. School staff (including School Safety Coordinators) will have cell phones.

We understand the concerns and fears families have. Safety is our top priority, and law enforcement officials have reported that cell phones create a distraction for students that can compromise their safety during an emergency. Students communicating with their cell phones during a campus emergency can alert an intruder to their location. Additionally:

• Students on their phones are not focused on life-saving directives from teachers, emergency management communication systems and first responders.
• Students can spread misinformation that confuses critical life-saving decision-making.
• The flurry of communication can jam cellular networks, preventing critical life-saving information from getting through.

Our schools have well-researched emergency management plans that will ensure students can reach parents as soon as possible after an all-clear is called. The following is typically addressed in those plans to get students access to their phones as quickly as possible.

• If sheltering in place, upon all clear, all the magnets being stored in the office (both bases that have been unscrewed from wall mounts and handhelds) are walked classroom to classroom by all available staff.  A classroom of 30 can be unlocked in less than 60 seconds.
• In the event of evacuation, handheld unlocking stations will be used by administrators to assist students in unlocking their pouches.