The Ridgefield School District will become one of the first in Southwest Washington to adopt a pouch system to enforce new rules limiting student cellphone use.
On Tuesday, Aug. 26, one day before the first day of school, the district’s board of directors unanimously approved a policy banning personal electronic devices for elementary students and requiring an “off and away all day” rule for middle and high school students.
Superintendent Dr. Jenny Rodriquez said the district will begin using Yondr pouches in the coming weeks to enforce the new rules. Middle and high school students will place their phones inside a pouch that locks shut. They will keep the pouch with them during the school day, and it will be unlocked when students leave campus.
Rodriquez said the pouches will arrive in about four weeks and will be distributed to students like textbooks. About 2,000 students across Ridgefield High School and View Ridge Middle School will receive them. Families will be charged a replacement fee if a pouch is lost, similar to the district’s Chromebook policy. Each pouch costs about $30 per student on average, though Ridgefield secured a discounted contract as an early adopter in the region.
Rodriquez explained that the district agreed to provide feedback to Yondr on the rollout in exchange for the discount. Under the contract, the exact cost to Ridgefield will not be made public.
“They’ve mapped out a four-week timeline to prepare and launch the program, and make sure that folks understand how to use them, that everything is here and on site, and that that communication goes out to both students and families before we move forward,” Rodriquez told the board.
The decision followed a district survey that drew 1,200 responses, the highest participation rate in Ridgefield’s history. The majority supported a no-device policy for elementary grades and an “off and away” approach at the middle and high school levels.
Board members acknowledged that enforcement would be difficult but said the policy was worth pursuing.
“This is not gonna be easy, I have no doubt, but typically doing the right thing isn’t always easy,” Board Member Brett Jones said.
Board Member Amber Baker noted that while not everyone agreed, the outcome reflects community input.
“I know that there is not a 100% consensus on exactly how to move forward,” Baker said. “When I look at the policy that we are considering, this policy feels good and in the interest of learning for young people in our buildings.”
Rodriquez told The Reflector that until the pouch system arrives, Ridgefield High School and View Ridge Middle School students will be required to keep their phones off and stored in backpacks.
“In the interim period, they’re going to be doing ‘off and away,’” she explained. “That is something that the principals of both campuses have coordinated on, so they’re gonna be utilizing the same method until we get the pouches. That gives us a month or so to train staff, make sure everything is installed, get the devices barcoded and ready to roll, and make sure families and students understand what it's gonna look like.”
