2 East Bay high schools require students to put cell phones in pouches under new pilot program

CONCORD, Calif. (KGO) -- The Mount Diablo Unified School District is trying a new pilot program that requires students at Ygnacio Valley High School and Mt. Diablo High School to put their cell phones in special locked pouches throughout the day. Students won't be able to access them until school is over.

"What we were finding as we were doing class visits and walking around campuses is that students were on their phones all the time," said Adam Clark, superintendent of MDUSD. "As we were talking to teachers and students actually admitting 'I am watching TikTok during class, and I should be paying attention to the teacher.'"

The company supplying the pouches is called Yondr, and it has been doing this with school districts around the country. A University of Texas study found tests scores rose by 6% in schools that had banned cell phones. Clark says their research showed promising results.

"Students were finding that they were more engaged in class," he said. "They were meeting people on campus they hadn't met before during lunch time and in passing periods."

However, this new rule is not being well received by some students.

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"We have to use it. We can't unlock it at all," said Niki Klosinski, a senior at Mt. Diablo High School. "We can't have it during lunch, brunch or anything. Only for emergencies."

She says not everyone had it the first day of school.

"Second period, a lot of kids still don't have it to lunch, and that is about four or five periods in," she said. "So it seems like they can't get to every kid."

Clark said he knows it will be a transition but thinks this will pay off well over the school year.

"Help them reach their dreams and aspirations and, you know, create that safe environment for our students," he said.