New Cellphone Policy Coming To Darien High School For 2025-2026

DARIEN, CT — After months of research, analysis and preparation, Darien High School will implement a new cellphone policy for 2025-2026.

Use of cell phones by students in grades nine through 11 during school hours will not be permitted at DHS.

Cellphones must be stored in assigned locking pouches and kept in student backpacks throughout the school day. Students with documented medical needs who may need to access their cellphone may use a non-locking pouch that's secured with velcro.

Seniors will be able to access their phones in the Senior Cafe area during non-lunch blocks. They are not required to use the pouch system.

In certain academic situations and only with the explicit approval of a staff member, according to the district, students of any grade level may be permitted to access their devices for educational purposes.

The Darien Board of Education during its June 10 meeting approved a modification to its fiscal year 2026 budget to purchase cellphone pouches from Yondr, a California-based company, at $32,806.

The full meeting is available to watch on-demand on Darien TV79.

Darien Public Schools Instructional Technology Coordinator Timothy McGuire and DHS Principal Ellen Dunn went before the Board of Education last week to provide more information on the Yondr pouch system.

DPS worked with staff, administrators, students, parents, conducted surveys, formed a subcommittee, and held a pilot program before deciding on using the Yondr pouches.

McGuire called Yondr an "industry leader." He noted at least 10 school districts in Connecticut use the pouches, including New Canaan.

"We have decided the Yondr program is an essential component to the successful implementation of the new cellphone protocol. Yondr helps schools create phone-free campuses; this is what they do," McGuire said.

As part of the school district's investment, McGuire said there will be a full onboarding process with a dedicated liaison from Yondr. The company will work with DPS on additional planning, expectations training and calibration, and ongoing follow up after the launch of the new guidelines.

Read also

• Darien Among CT School Districts With Best Teachers: New Report
• Early Childhood Education Franchise To Open Location In Darien
• Darien Student Awarded National Merit Scholarship

Here's how the pouch system will work, according to McGuire.

Students will store and lock their powered down cellphones in their pouches before entering school and show them to a staff member as they come into the building, McGuire explained. The pouches can be easily stored in backpacks throughout the day.

At the end of the day, students will tap their pouches on one of 20 unlock stations around the school to quickly unlock the pouch.

"Students have the same pouch all year, and they'll turn it in at the end of the year. The same pouch will be returned to them in the fall. Yondr reports a three to four-year lifespan with normal backpack conditions," McGuire said.

The district will have an inventory of spare bags. Those without pouches will have to leave their phones in a bin in the front office area.

"The goal here is to eliminate the visibility of the phone during the day," McGuire said. "If a phone is heard or seen, it is confiscated. I'll be honest with you, the pouch doesn't solve the world's problems. We're just working to shift student behavior with this approach."

Outgoing Superintendent of DPS Dr. Alan Addley noted that students have expressed an inability to "self-regulate" cellphone use.

"This is a tool to actually help them do that a little bit," he said.

DHS Principal Ellen Dunn, however, said there were concerns and anxieties among some students about the pouch system. She said they were concerned about having access to their school schedule, communicating with family, unlocking the pouch and getting to their bus on time, communicating in an emergency, listening to music, and even knowing what time it is.

"I just want to recognize these things and understand these are real, and things we have to help support our students with should we go forward," Dunn said.

Limiting cellphone use in schools has been a growing trend across the country in recent years.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, around 75 percent of public schools in the U.S. have some form of restriction on cellphone use during school hours.

New guidelines were put in place last September restricting cellphone and personal device use in grades K-8 in Darien.

More information on the DHS cellphone policy can be found on the district website. Additional information will be shared by the high school administration over the summer.