WICHITA, Kansas (KWCH) – Trinity Academy is a phone-free zone this school year. The school has given students in grades 8 through 12 lockable magnetic bags in which students must store their cell phones, earbuds and smart watches while attending school.
The school says that students must pack their devices in lockable bags when they arrive at school and keep the bag with them during the day but are not allowed to open it.
When students leave school, they tap the bag on a base to open it.
Matt Shepherd, head of Trinity Academy, said students have welcomed the new bags. “The hallways are alive, the cafeteria is full of laughter and kids are looking each other in the eye,” Shepherd said.
Other schools in Kansas have implemented cell phone ban policies, and parents have raised concerns about phone access during a security threat.
Trinity Academy said all classrooms have phones and teachers have cell phones and a safety app. In a statement, the school said: “In fact, research shows that student cell phones cause more problems than they solve in crisis situations at schools.”
An American company called Yondr makes the magnetic bags that Trinity uses.
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