The district announced Oct. 9 via email a reinforcement of Yondr pouch and ID policies that would begin Monday, Oct. 13.
The email stated that a lost Yondr pouch would incur a $20 charge, and the student responsible would receive a replacement to use until locating it. If a student loses an ID, the replacement cost is $5.
Junior Sophia Morris said that she is skeptical about how successful the reinforcement will be. “They’re not going to hold anyone to this policy,” Morris said.
Sophomore Jacob Dickas said that the school has made empty threats in the past. “Every time they bring in a new reinforcement, they really hype it up and say they’re going to make sure it’ll happen, but then two weeks later, it kind of fades away,” Dickas said.
Senior Mylo Jones said that even stricter rules will be broken. “I’m not paying the school for not bringing my Yondr for, like, a week,” he said. “That’s stupid.”
Principal Isaiah Wyatt said that Yondr and ID expectations are essential. “It’s important for us to be clear with the expectations and for students to know them because that creates safety and consistency,” he said.
Sophomore Max Brokaw said that enforcement requires more effort. “I think they need to take more initiative,” Brokaw said. “They need to be stricter if they want anyone to take this seriously.”
However, Brokaw said he thinks that Yondr pouches have benefited school safety. “There’s definitely less fights with it,” he said.
Three fights occurred Oct. 14; two on campus and one off campus, according to an Oct. 15 email from Wyatt to high school parents.
Wyatt said that no form of phone restriction needs to be permanent at the high school. “I’m tied to clear expectations, routines, safety and, most importantly, learning, but I’m not tied to one specific way of doing it,” Wyatt said.
Said Wyatt, “We just want our students to walk in, show their Yondr pouches and IDs, go through the metal detectors, and have a good day.”
