FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Just weeks into the school year, Central Unified administrators, teachers and students say the district’s new phone-free campus policy is already changing behavior both inside and outside the classroom.
At Central East High School, students in a sports medicine class recently focused on learning how to properly tape ankles. During the lesson, there was one notable difference from previous years: no one was distracted by a cellphone.
That is because students are now required to lock their phones in Yondr pouches from the first bell until dismissal.
“I think this year has been something very different for a lot of us,” said senior class president Haimailey Valdovinos.
The policy was adopted ahead of the school year as California schools implemented new rules limiting student cellphone use during instructional hours. In Central Unified, middle and high school students store their devices in locked pouches that remain with them throughout the day.
Valdovinos said the change was immediately noticeable at school events. During the first rally of the year, students found creative alternatives to recording and sharing moments.
“They had their Chromebooks out recording, which is really something that I was like, ‘Wow, that’s new,’ which is really fun,” she said. “I thought it was something really cool.”
She also said students have begun bringing digital cameras to events instead of relying on their phones.
Teachers report the changes are showing up in the classroom, too.
“I was impressed immediately after the first month or so with students engaging in their learning, scoring better on quizzes, scoring better on tests, preparing for tests, or completing their work in class now instead of being on their phones and saying they’ll do it later,” said social studies teacher Phillip Brunnengraeber.
Principal Brad Edmunds said the impact extends beyond academics. He believes the policy has improved the overall campus climate by encouraging more face-to-face interaction among students.
“I’ve been the principal here for seven years, and this is the most positive impact that I have seen in those seven years,” Edmunds said. “Kids are talking to one another, kids are engaged in the classroom, just an overall great climate on campus.”
Edmunds also noted a significant decline in fights. He said students are less able to organize confrontations during the school day or use their phones to film incidents.
Students must bring their Yondr pouches every day. Those who forget may face lunch detention, while students caught using their phones face escalating consequences through a district disciplinary process.
Though the transition has taken some getting used to, Valdovinos said many students are beginning to see the benefits.
“I hope that people really just understand that it’s something good and not so bad,” she said. “I know a lot of people have a lot of negative thoughts about it. And I just hope that the student body and school spirit in general just increases.”
District leaders say they will continue monitoring the policy’s impact throughout the year, with hopes that fewer distractions will ultimately contribute to higher graduation rates, stronger academic performance and continued improvements to campus culture.
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