Yondr is a company teaming up with schools, performing arts venues and other groups to support phone and device free environments. Visit Yondr Website 

• As students enter school, they will turn off or put their cell phone in Do Not Disturb mode and then place their cell phone, smartwatch, and Airpods/earbuds in their assigned Yondr pouch.
  • iOS Do Not Disturb Instructions
  • Android Do Not Disturb Instructions
• Students close and secure their Yondr pouch and put it in their backpack or bag to keep it with them throughout the school day.
• When leaving school, students tap their Yondr pouch on a base unit to unlock it and remove their devices from the pouch until the next day.
• Students keep the pouches with them whether at school or not. Students are responsible for their pouches at all times.

• Do Not Disturb mode allows the device to continue receiving messages without notifying the user with any vibrations or sounds.
• Do Not Disturb mode allows parents/guardians and others who use Find My Phone, Life 360, or other apps to monitor the location of their child. Airplane mode restricts this option.
• Silent mode, unless changed in settings, will continue to vibrate. These vibrations are distracting and can be anxiety provoking for the user to be aware of new messages throughout the day without being able to access them. 
  • iOS Do Not Disturb Instructions
  • Android Do Not Disturb Instructions

• SMMUSD is seeking to limit distractions in the classroom and improve overall student engagement, mental health, and well-being. We have received feedback from staff, families, and students that an updated mobile device policy is needed in schools. Feedback includes a concern that access to smartphones, smartwatches, and earbuds are a barrier to learning and student success. Concerns have been raised about the distractions and unwanted attention caused by constant access to social media, text messaging, and cameras (photos and videos taken at school are sometimes used for online harassment and bullying of other students).
• The pouches physically restrict access, but more importantly they serve as a symbolic decision that we will make each day to set aside personal devices in favor of active participation in school socially and academically.

Yes, students and families will have the opportunity to receive a demonstration prior to the start of school to check out and test the Yondr pouches and unlocking devices.

• Yondr Demonstration Video
• Yondr In A School Demonstration Video 

• All students in grades 6-8 will be assigned a Yondr pouch to secure their personal devices i.e. cell phone, smartwatch, and AirPods/earbuds. Students are responsible for the Yondr pouch at all times and for bringing the pouch to and from school each day.
• Elementary grade students are encouraged not to bring personal devices to school. If elementary students must have access to a personal device, parents must ensure devices are off and in their backpacks.

• Upon entering school before the first instructional bell, students will turn off their cell phone, or place it in Do Not Disturb mode, put it inside the Yondr pouch and lock it. Students will keep their Yondr pouch in their backpack. The pouch will be unlocked after the last instructional bell at the end of the school day, in classrooms, at exit gates and/or in the school office main lobby area.
  • iOS Do Not Disturb Instructions
  • Android Do Not Disturb Instructions

• Students are in possession of their phone and other mobile devices – in their Yondr pouch – for the entire school day. Students should store the pouch in their backpacks where it is completely safe. Students are responsible for their pouches at all times.

• One pouch will be provided to each student at no fee.
• The replacement cost for each pouch is $25.
  • Students who need to replace a lost or damaged pouch will go to the school office.
  • Until the pouch is replaced, students are expected to adhere to all phone expectations and are subject to the same consequences. 
• New students who enroll during the year will be assigned their Yondr pouch during the registration process and receive their pouch from the school office.

• Yondr pouches do not block cell signals or the internet. Students are expected to turn their devices off or put them in Do Not Disturb mode before putting them in their Yondr pouch.
  • iOS Do Not Disturb Instructions
  • Android Do Not Disturb Instructions

• All cell phones, smart watches and earbuds must be turned off or placed in Do Not Disturb mode and locked in the Yondr pouch in a backpack during the school day. Students will be able to open their pouch when they leave campus. If they return to campus they will need to re-lock their items in their pouch.
• All personal devices, earbuds, phones and/or watches must be locked in the Yondr pouch no later than the start of a student's first period of the day and may be unlocked at the end of the student day. After the last instructional bell of the school day, students will be able to find an unlocking station to open up their Yondr pouches.
• If a student arrives late to school, that student needs to lock up their devices as they enter campus and check-in at the front desk.
• If a student leaves early from school, that student can unlock at the front office on their way out of school.

• Students must write their name on their pouch so that it can easily be identified. Any personalization should not interfere with the functionality of the pouch or locking clasp. Other markings or decorations must uphold the values and expectations of the district and schools.
• Cutting holes or slits in the pouch is prohibited. If a pouch is damaged and is no longer functional as deemed by the school, a replacement pouch must be purchased through the school office. Replacement pouches are available for purchase for $25.

• In elementary schools, parents are encouraged to not send their children with devices to school. If parents insist, devices must be off and must remain in their bag packs during the school day.
• In Middle Schools, all students are issued a pouch.
• In High Schools, students must ensure their mobile communication device is in silent mode before entering the classroom. Upon entering the classroom, immediately place their mobile communication device and any related accessories (e.g., earbuds, headphones) into the designated classroom storage device provided by the teacher.

• SMMUSD is seeking to limit distractions in the classroom and improve overall student engagement, mental health, and well-being. We have received feedback from staff, families, and students that an updated mobile device policy is needed in schools. Feedback includes a concern that access to smartphones, smartwatches, and earbuds are a barrier to learning and student success. Concerns have been raised about the distractions and unwanted attention caused by constant access to social media, text messaging, and cameras (photos and videos taken at school are sometimes used for online harassment and bullying of other students).
• The pouches physically restrict access, but more importantly they serve as a symbolic decision that we will make each day to set aside personal devices in favor of active participation in school socially and academically.

The Mobile Communication Devices Policy went into effect on the first day of school in the 2025-2026 school year.

• Parents may request that students with 504s receive a consideration card from the school administrator to keep with their Yondr pouch. This allows the student to be excused to go to a school office to use their device or a school phone under supervision.

• Students are able to receive emails on their district email account from family members and they can check their email account on their school issued Chromebook. 
• Our schools are staffed throughout the day with people who are here to help. Families can call the front office and ask for a note to be delivered to the student.
• Offices at our schools have phones and students can use an office phone to contact a parent.
• Students can visit the office or other identified locations on campus where they can request to unlock their pouch to access their phone to check and respond to messages from families.
• Messages can be sent to students' phones which they will receive after school ends for the day.

• Yes. Cell signals and access to the internet are not blocked by a Yondr pouch. When arriving at school, students should put their cell phone in Do Not Disturb mode prior to putting it in a pouch. If a student turns off their cell phone prior to putting it in a pouch, then parents will not be able to use Find My Phone to track the location of their student.
  • iOS Do Not Disturb Instructions
  • Android Do Not Disturb Instructions

• If this is a specified accommodation approved by the classroom teacher, students are able to use headphones to connect to their school-issued laptops to listen to music during specified times within the classroom.

• School staff will allow student access to personal devices at the appropriate time and when it is safe to do so. Our staff is trained to handle several different emergency events. It is imperative in an emergency that students focus on the information and direction being provided by the trained adult and that will include when it is safe to access/use their personal devices.

• Not having access to social media and texting might actually keep students safer during an emergency.
  • This keeps students from messaging locations, creating vibration and chime sounds that give away locations, or other information that could compromise safety.
  • Students will be able to more clearly focus on instructions and directions from school administrators, trained adults, and first responders during an emergency situation.
  • Allows the district to communicate accurate information to families regarding a situation, reunification, and other announcements.

• Your child will have their phone. The mobile device pouches stay with the student in their backpack the entire day.
• Our district has put significant work into ensuring that students can thrive at school without access to their mobile devices. Please review the FAQs for exceptions for students with medical conditions, and how to contact students as needed. After reviewing the FAQs, if you still have any questions, please contact your principal.

• As with any concern, we encourage families and community members to start with administrators at their school. If the concern is not resolved, the matter can be brought to district office administrators, starting with our executive director of schools. 

• Students are issued district-provided devices for use at school. Personal laptops or tablets are not allowed.

• Smartwatches can be used to send and receive text messages which is a distraction to the learning environment of the student and other students in the vicinity of the smartwatch. We know smartwatches can be set to a “Schooltime mode” but we cannot guarantee every student will have their smartwatch set to “Schooltime mode” nor can we guarantee that the smartwatch won’t be changed out of “Schooltime mode” during the school day which would make it possible for the watch to send messages and be used in other ways during class and while at school which causes distractions and interruptions to the learning environment. 

• Our schools will always meet with families and students to determine if a situation warrants deviating from the policy. It will be an exception, not a norm.

• Students have demonstrated time and again that they will not comply with simply putting their phones away. Enforcement of this becomes a burden of the classroom teachers when students do not comply and valuable instructional time is lost. It also creates an unfair liability for the teacher when they have to confiscate a device due to student non-compliance with a zero-tolerance policy.

• Mobile devices, Airpods/earbuds, and smartwatches are highly discouraged at our elementary schools. They should be kept at home.
• Families who insist on their elementary-aged students having a mobile device at school, please ensure device is off and in their backpacks.

• This website section will continue to be updated with educational materials. In addition, the Department of Student Services is developing resources for families and will host education sessions designed to empower families to help teach their children how to establish a more balanced and healthy relationship with technology.

• A student's first Yondr pouch is provided by the school district at no cost to the family. The replacement cost for lost or damaged pouches is $25.