Newburgh Free Academy North Campus officially implemented the Yondr pouches on Tuesday, November 28. Superintendent Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell publicly thanked the high school principals, additional staff and students for their help in a smooth first day.

“All students received a pouch and kept their phones locked for the duration of the day. Overall, students were receptive to the new initiative,” she said. “Overall, we were excited to see an increase in socialization in our cafeterias and look forward to the positive impacts this initiative will have for our learning environment.”

The Yondr pouch is a pouch that is designed for people to place their cell phones in to limit their need to access it. Cell phones are placed inside and once inside, the pouch is locked for the duration of the day. The pouch will remain in the possession of the individual student as it is their property.

Students who will need to access their phones if it starts to ring will need to access it from an unlocking base. An unlocking base will open the pouch for the student to use their phone. Unlocking bases are placed in areas that the students can use without causing distractions to their fellow students.