Widespread concern about phone use has prompted Commerce to require all students to keep their phones in locked pouches during school, and student response has proven more positive than one might expect.

Paul Neal, the executive principal of Commerce, announced on Oct. 17 that all students would have to leave their phones in locked pouches for the complete duration of the school day. Other high schools in Springfield have taken the same direction.

“We did surveys to find out how students felt about implementing this. There are some students who would be against this, but it will really improve the education environment,” said Neal.

Phone policy is a different story at SHA, where students can use their phones but only during lunch or transitions.

In the midst of Commerce’s introduction of the pouches, Executive Principal HD and Principal Cooper reminded students here of the off-and-away policy.

“Some schools have to go that extreme,” of phone pouches, said Cooper, “but here at SHA we teach students to balance phone use with school.”

HD made a statement in a morning assembly on Nov. 1 talking about phone use in SHA, noting that

students sometimes use their phones when they aren’t supposed to. She had also brought up that Commerce and other high schools were implementing phone pouches to curb the problem.

She later mentioned she would have to resort to more “creative” solutions if phone issues were to continue here.

The pouches employ a patented system that uses a magnetic lock to seal the pouch shut when it’s closed, as described by the Company Yondr. And the pouches can only be unlocked at designated stations.

If students break or lose two pouches, they have to pay a $30 fee to get a third one.

Phone use has become more and more prevalent and turned into a big problem at Commerce, which pushed Neal to take action.

Staff and faculty had observed that there were always several people in class who were hooked by their phones. They sought ways to improve the learning environment, resulting in phones being purged from the classrooms entirely.

Neal had expressed that technology would sometimes be used for the wrong purposes.

“People would text an intruder to come in or organize fights over the phone

The Yondr pouches are being used to curb student phone use.,” said Neal.

Student opinions on the phone pouches are mixed: a big chunk of students expressed positivity or indifference while others disliked them.

Many of these students are happy to be able to have more conversations and focus more on their schoolwork.

“I’ve been having fun, it’s a new change in my life,” said an 11th grader. “It’s been giving me more attention on work and my grades have risen significantly, I have more time to enjoy high school.”

“So far it’s going good,” said Aiyanna, a sophomore. “I’ve been getting a lot of work done on time.”

Other students were neutral about the phone pouches or disliked not being able to use their phone.

As there are certain things you cannot do without your phone, there would inevitably be students who have different perspectives.

“I know about work, but it sucks that kids need their phones if anything happens.” said Cristen, a 10th grader. This is a pretty common issue that students are worried about.

Onixa, a 10th grader, expressed that she really hates not having her phone.

Phone use is a major issue for many schools, Springfield Central and high schools in Holyoke have also implemented phone pouches.

Neal had talked to several schools throughout the area, and many of them reported seeing massive improvements to their learning environment. Along with that, he saw that the Commerce faculty were seeing positive changes to their classrooms.

“Some of them say it’s the best thing they’ve ever done,” said Neal.  “It’s going reasonably well; students are adjusting and rediscovering their classmates.”