Some middle schools in Binghamton and Vestal have announced that starting this year, students must lock their phones and other smart devices in magnetic pouches during the school day. The initiative is aimed at increasing student’s focus by reducing technology-related distractions.

The pouches, made by the company Yondr, are small rectangular bags with a lock at the top and can be opened at round magnetic mechanisms called “unlocking bases.” Using grant money, the school district purchased 1,000 pouches for about $30 each. Each student will be issued a pouch for the school year where they will place their phones, AirPods and smartwatches at the beginning of each day. During dismissal, the bases will be placed in the hallways for students to unlock.

With the help of a Student Device Task Force, composed of Vestal High School students, parents, teachers, counselors and administrators, the school district arrived at this policy. Meeting seven times to discuss helping students overcome device overuse, the task force concluded that previously implemented methods to keep students off their phones, like asking them to keep their devices in their lockers, were ineffective. The task force decided a personal electronic device pause would be most effective and to pilot the program in Vestal Middle School because of the students’ ages.

“Some research has shown that device and social media usage among tweens and young teens is growing at a very fast pace,” wrote Patrick Clarke, the district’s assistant superintendent for instruction. “Many students receive their first cell phone in their middle school years. From a developmental perspective, these students often struggle to develop healthy habits with digital technology. Consequently, we thought it was important to help these students learn to set appropriate boundaries with electronic devices and social media at a young age.”

The pouches are intended to help students develop both socially and academically. Administrators hope the device pause will give students more time to socialize face-to-face with peers, foster meaningful relationships and curb cyberbullying. In class, eliminating electronic devices is intended to reduce distraction and help students focus on the lesson.

So far, there are no concrete plans to expand the program to elementary or high schools. Vestal high schools are using a different strategy — students will put their phones away in shoe organizers at the beginning of class. The task force and other administrators will evaluate the method’s effectiveness and consider using magnetic pouches in the high schools if the current method fails.

Some parents have opposed the program with concerns that the pouches could become a safety issue if their child is unreachable during an emergency. Others said that lack of communication during the school day could be inconvenient if after-school activities change.

“As I write this, we just completed our first day of school,” Clarke wrote. “There were very few issues with devices or pouches today. The vast majority of students complied with the new protocol. In a lot of ways, it was a typical first day of school with the usual nervousness and excitement that comes with the start of any new school year. For the students I spoke with, the pouches were more a novelty than a concern.”