In less than a week, students return to campus across the Folsom Cordova Unified School District (FCUSD). As the new year of learning begins it comes with a change in policy that will restrict cell phone use by middle students during the school day.
Last week, parents of Folsom Cordova middle school students received correspondence reminding them of the new policy. The policy was revised and approved by the school board in April of last year and takes effect next week.
“These changes were prompted by increased distractions to student learning and concerns about the negative impact of cell phone use during the school day,” reads a notice issued to parents of FCUSD Students this past week to prepare for the opening of the school year.
According to the updated policy, “students in grades sixth through 8 will be adopting the elementary school policy beginning with the 2023-24 school year.” The new policy means that, all mobile devices must be turned off and placed out of sight during the school day, according to the notice and the updated policy. Students who need to call parents may use phones located in the administrative office. THE ENTIRE POLICY UPDATE CAN BE VIEWED HERE.
To facilitate a phone-free school in an effort to what school officials say will improve teaching and learning, FCUSD middle schools will be using a system called Yondr. Yondr has been implemented in over 2,000 schools across 16 countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment.
The Yondr Program utilizes a secure pouch that stores a phone. Every student will secure their phone in a personally assigned Yondr pouch when they arrive at school. “Students will maintain possession of their phones and will not use them until their pouches are opened at the end of the school day,” explains the notice to parents. Students will be issued their phone pouches on the first day of school. COMPLETE DETAILS OF THE YONDR PROGRAM CAN BE READ HERE.
Parents and students alike have shared mixed feelings about the new policy across social media. While many express they support the district’s effort to keep students engaged in the classroom, others have expressed concerns regarding safety in the case of a school emergency.
If you are member of the Folsom community, we would like to hear your thoughts on the new policy. Please join the conversation over on the Folsom Times Facebook page post below:
