January 2023
Dear Parents,
We will be making our school a phone-free space to improve teaching and learning using a system called Yondr. Yondr has been implemented in over 1,000 schools across 21 countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment.
We believe that phones have great utility. We have also found that learning and social behavior improve drastically when students are fully engaged with their teachers and classmates.
The Yondr Program utilizes a simple, 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. Students are required to bring their Yondr pouch to and from school each day and are responsible for their pouch at all times.
Yondr recently surveyed over 900 school partners to measure the effects of creating phone-free educational environments. These schools achieved notable progress in multiple areas:
• 65% of schools saw an improvement in academic performance
• 74% of schools saw an improvement in student behavior
• 83% of schools saw an improvement in student engagement in the classroom
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school directly at (607) 588-7541, or attend our upcoming Community Forum about the adoption of Yondr on January 30, 7 p.m. in the GCCS Auditorium.
Enclosed are draft versions of the proposed policy and a summary of the procedures and guidelines our school will use to implement this policy. We hope you find them informative and we invite your input and feedback at the upcoming Community Forum. Additionally, this article addresses many of the ‘whys’ that support our consideration of this policy and may be accessed at this link: Take Away Their Cellphones … So we can rewire schools for belonging and achievement.
Our motto is “Together Toward Excellence.” In adopting Yondr, we believe we will, “…move students forward academically, socially, emotionally, and personally…” in all aspects of their development.
Sincerely,
Michael Fleischman, Board President
Please review our Student Personal Electronic Device Policy & Procedures below:
