What is the craze with Yondr Bags? First there is the cost, around 25-30 dollars per student, most schools require the student to pay for the cost or use a massive chunk of their budget for this new ‘tech’.
What even is a Yondr Bag? It is a cloth pouch with a magnet and a locking device where students are required to put their phones in. No one can get in without an unlocking device, not students, not staff.
That might seem like a good idea till one thinks about it in a critical sense, there are no exceptions, not for students with disabilities where they might need it in case of an emergency or students with home issues, like family in the hospital where they might need access for updates and calls for worse case situations.
Unfortunately on a darker side, students might need it in case of a school shooting, not allowing students to have their phone in order to call for help is insane. Also the timely issues are present when considering students have to wait for a member of the staff to unlock their phones at the end of school. This leads to massive pile up and a scramble to be in the designated spot for Yondr Bag unlocking.
Yes, the idea of phones not being easily accessible in the classroom sounds good in today’s society, but with that being said in certain circumstances it is too important to have easy access to a phone.
Some may bring up the fact that these pouches are used to provide a non phone learning experience, phones can be a distraction in class, but fully confiscating an individual’s phone that they own is insane.
