Izaak Casteen, a representative of the company Yondr, gave a presentation to the school board on what it would be like if New Hanover Schools went “without personal devices.” He cited studies and newspaper articles supporting the use of their lockable device bags, which cost about $30 each.

Yondr claims that its product will improve students’ academic performance, behavior, and attendance because they are no longer distracted and stressed by their devices.

The company based its findings on work by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Vivek Murthy and social scientist Jonathan Haidt that shows American students are more isolated, lonely and disconnected. They say their over-reliance on personal devices and social media contributes to this status.

Casteen said students would pack their phones in their bags upon arrival and then be able to access them upon departure. This way, teachers and staff wouldn’t have to deal with students all day. All personal devices, including smartwatches, would be placed in the Yondr bag.

The board and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes asked what would happen if a student lost a bag, and Casteen responded that a fee would be charged in that case.

School board members agreed that they need to do something about cell phone use – either create a policy and/or choose a company to help them with it. They added that most districts have a one-to-one initiative (every student has a device) and that they could use it for lessons that incorporate technology.

Board member Hugh McManus McManus said they had to act quickly because it was “impossible to teach” if students had phones and they were “the worst social thing I’ve ever seen.” He said whatever the board decides, it would have to do it consistently and enforce it. He added that he expected resistance from parents to the idea because they would be concerned about not being able to communicate with their students in an emergency. Board member Stephanie Walker also expressed that fear.

Board members like Walker and Stephanie Kraybill said the price tag may be too high, as the district expects a total cost of about $345,000 for middle and high school students. Kraybill said they could purchase a cell phone holder for each classroom modeled after the ones Hoggard High School tried a few years ago. But she acknowledged that enforcement has not gone as planned.

Board member Pat Bradford suggested that the county or New Hanover Endowment could cover the cost of Yondr-style device bags. She also suggested that the district cover the cost using North Carolina Lottery funds or the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools (CSS) safety grant.

Assistant Superintendent Eddie Anderson has told the board multiple times that the lottery funds are only used for capital projects – and the NC CSS grant funds are typically earmarked for School Resource Officers (SROs). Kraybill also mentioned that these funding sources cannot be used for personal device bags.

School board members said they would meet with principals next week to discuss how to proceed with the personal device policy and whether using Yondr’s bags would be a possible solution.

Across the Cape Fear River, two schools in Brunswick County, Cedar Grove and Town Creek Middle Schools, are piloting the Yondr program this coming fall semester. If successful, BCS Superintendent Dale Cole hopes to expand it to other schools in the spring.

Staff meeting: working atmosphere, student behavior and new superintendent

Board members also discussed details of the NHCS staff town hall meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August 13, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. There will be three tables at each of the two discussion sessions. Two with two board members and one with three. Each table/group of board members will have a discussion topic: district climate, student behavior and qualities for the next superintendent.

Employees who wish to attend must register. Currently, the district says their names will not be recorded, but note takers at each table will anonymously write down their comments. Barnes said this town hall meeting will not be live streamed, but there will be a place for the community to sit in the back of the building and watch. However, it’s likely those viewers will not be able to hear the conversations between staff and board members.

Working atmosphere

In May 2024, staff expressed dissatisfaction with the administration and board regarding the climate in the district. Shortly after this survey was released, former Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust was fired. This topic asks staff about the district’s strengths and weaknesses, ideas for creating a more supportive, inclusive environment, and ways to promote employee well-being.

Staff will also be asked about challenges and successes in managing student behavior, strategies for improving behavior, and what staff needs from the district to effectively address these behaviors.

Student behavior

Student behavior has become a top concern in recent staff climate surveys. At Tuesday’s meeting, Assistant Principal Julie Varnam updated the board on the Out of School Expulsion (ISS) and Out of School Expulsion (OSS) numbers, but said the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) will not review them until the fall.

Varnam also announced that NHCS was removed from the federal sanctions list because it disproportionately suspended students of color with disabilities. This meant that other students with special needs lost millions in funding – but that money was used directly to address the disproportionality.

In the board’s climate survey in May, some teachers and staff claimed there were instructions not to impose consequences or suspend students. Varnam said that is not the case – and non-negotiables include students who use violence – or bring weapons, use drugs or alcohol on campus, or consistently disobey instructions.

Barnes said he hopes to continue working with staff on behavioral/crisis management and de-escalation strategies.

Members of the Love Our Children organization spoke during the public hearing about Policy 4351, which handles suspensions. They want to implement a rule that requires principals to call a parent or guardian before suspending a student under the age of eight. At the board’s agenda review meeting before the August meeting, McManus asked Barnes if this could be done in writing, and he said he would take care of it.

After lobbying for nearly 17 months on the issue, some school leaders told board members that they often call before making a decision, but receiving the decision in writing could hinder them in the investigation process, according to board member Josie Barnhart.

Search for a superintendent, concerns about bias

The board wants to hear from staff what qualities they want in the new superintendent and how they want him to engage the community. Barnes said that while this town hall meeting is for staff, there will be community engagement sessions in the future to hear what they want in the next district superintendent.

Some in the community, like Sonya Bennetone-Patrick, said they were tired of the board’s current partisanship toward the GOP. Some staff members also expressed this concern in the May 2024 board survey.

Bennetone-Patrick read portions of the NHCGOP’s press release shortly after Foust’s firing. In the letter, Republican county leaders urged the four Republican members who control the board to select the next superintendent who is aligned with the party.

Nevin Carr, the party’s chairman, wrote on July 3 that Foust’s ouster was a “defining moment for changing the culture and priorities around how we educate our children.” He added that in the district, “flags representing radical gender ideologies are replacing the American flag. We are seeing children being taught to be racist, that the color of their skin defines them as oppressors or oppressed. We are seeing history lessons and love of country being replaced by hateful left-wing propaganda.”

Bennetone-Patrick denied those allegations, adding that she was unaware that the superintendent’s position was partisan.

Mothers for Freedom

Jan Boswell, the head of the NHC chapter of Moms for Liberty, also spoke. She said she plans to present board member Bradford with the Joyful Warrior of the Month award. Republican school board candidate and chair of the Moms for Liberty legislative organization Natosha Tew also spoke at the meeting, drawing attention to Moms for Liberty’s injunction against Title IX regulations that prohibit discrimination.

Tew said the district’s board and schools must decide to be “on the right side of history” and urged parents to require their schools to participate in the MFL’s injunction.

The group Moms for Liberty has been labeled “extremist” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, although that is not an official legal designation and the SPLC’s designation of extremist and hate groups has been questioned (as detailed in this Washington Post article).