Las Vegas Schools Implement Cell Phone Pouches to Keep Students Off Their Phones

David Chiu
·3 min read
2
A student demonstrates how the cellphone-storing pouches work

The Clark County School District announced the new policy for the 2024-2025 school year

  • "These new devices prevent and reduce distractions in the classroom, " the Clark County School District said in a statement

  • A pilot program has already been instituted in some Clark County schools

  • One student has raised concerns about safety issues associated with the new policy

Las Vegas school students won’t be able to watch their favorite TikTok videos or post Instagram pics on their cell phones during class time, thanks to a new policy.

The Clark County School District (CCSD) announced that starting in the 2024-2025 school year, students in grades 6 to 12 will have to use signal-blocking pouches to store their phones during classroom instruction, Fox affiliate KVVU reported. A pilot program began last month in about 10% of the district’s schools, while the remaining schools will implement the policy in August.

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A statement from the CCSD about the signal-blocking pouches shared with NBC affiliate KSNV read in part: "These new devices prevent and reduce distractions in the classroom, allowing for a productive learning environment and increasing student focus on instruction.”

Related: Students 'Bummed' After Alaska High School Totally Bans Cell Phones — But Staffers 'Love It'

As reported by CBS affiliate KLAS, the non-locking pouches will be in classroom areas so that students can access them in case of emergencies.

The school district’s policy has generated both favorable and mixed reactions.

"I think it's great," Emy Monreal, a parent of a student at Arbor View High School, which participated in the pilot program, told KSNV. "You go to class you learn, and let the teachers instruct and they don't have to be distracted by the cell phones."

Rylee Myrold, a senior at Arbor View, told the same news outlet the policy raises safety concerns. "It's hard to get out of the pouch," she said. "The pouches are a pain. And if something were to happen everyone what- you expect everyone to run to the front of the class, scramble for your phone, you can't tell which is yours."

Related: Hundreds of Students Protest Texas School’s New Cellphone Ban: 'This Is Not Right'

PEOPLE reached out to the CCSD on Friday for comment.

Cell phone pouches have been part of a growing trend in the nation’s schools, including those in Massachusetts and New Jersey. As reported by NBC News, school districts in 41 states have spent $2.5 million for these pouches from the company, Yondr, which manufactures these magnetically-sealed devices to store cell phones.

Related: Vermont Bill Would Ban Cell Phones for Anyone Under 21, But Even Its Sponsor 'Wouldn't Vote for It'

Renesha Parks, the chief wellness officer at Richmond Public Schools in Virginia, expressed support for the Yondr pouches in spite of the financial costs. In a December 2023 article published in The Hill, she mentioned a policy slated for six schools earlier this year to prohibit cell phone usage.

“It’s a very costly initiative,” said Parks about the $75,000 price tag for the pouches covering 4,200 students. “But we do feel like it will decrease the amount of infractions that are happening as a result of student’s cell phone use and increase productivity and academic instruction in the classroom. It’s worth the investment.”

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