Cape Girardeau school board votes in favor of new cell phone policy

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - The Cape Girardeau school board passed the plan to restrict cell phones in schools Monday evening.

The vote was 6-0. One board member was not present.

School board members met November 20 to discuss this new cell phone policy.

The new rule will start in January. According to the district, it will eliminate some phone distractions for students.

A special device, called YONDR, is a secured, fabric pouch that will store the phones for the entire school day.

Students will be given their own YONDR pouch to take to and from school each day.

Magnetic bases to unlock the pouches will be available to students as they leave the building.

Teachers and administrators say they think this new program will be a success.

”Five to seven years down the road, or whatever that may be, we are hoping that this will result in high academic achievement for our kids,” Brice Beck, deputy superintendent, said.

“Or just the social skills, the interactions with people, a lot of those soft skills are being forgotten now since cell phone have come on board,” Kim Newman, a Cape Central teacher, added.

According to the district, the total cost of the start-up program for all Central High School students is $28,050.

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