Heritage High School on Tuesday January 23rd started a new cell phone policy for students in school. The new cell phone policy enforces students to put their phones up in a phone holder during class from bell to bell. If students choose to have their phones out during instructional periods they first get a reminder from their teacher and then if the student persists to keep their phone out and administrator has the ability to confiscate it.

A school district in Texas invested in a new method for their cell phone policy. The district uses Yondr ´ s phone pouch. The pouch has a magnetic locking mechanism and the only way to unlock it is by using the unlocking base. Students have to ask their teachers for permission to use their phones, so the teachers solely have access.

When it comes to these phone pouches some people are skeptical. No one questions whether they encouraged less screen time for students, but more of the fact of the chance of a student’s phone getting locked in the pouch for good. What if the unlocking base doesn’t t working? What if the pouch gets stuck and doesn’t want to unlock? These are valid questions and concerns.

As schools across the country are looking into phone policies there is a realization from staff that it’s difficult to simply tell students to put them away in their backpacks or to put them face down on their desks.

“We are all distracted when our phones are around, even if you’re not looking at it, you know it’s there” said news spokesperson from NBC News today.