Valentina Fuentes, Editor-in-Chief
Featured Image by Milo Zinser
On Nov 4, NCHS administration began distribution of Yondr pouches, the latest stage in the district’s ongoing push toward a phone-free environment.
The pouches are locked magnetically by each student as they enter the school, and are unlocked when they leave the building near designated unlocking stations by exit doors. Students keep their phones on them inside the pouch all day but cannot access them until they leave the building.
To prepare students for the shift, administrators brought pouches down to the cafeteria during lunch the week of October 26, giving students the chance to try them on, lock them, and practice unlocking them ahead of the official rollout.
When the rollout begins, distribution will take place during class meetings in the auditorium. Pouch assignments will be tracked directly through student accounts.
“We’ll probably break off into 4 or 5 sections of the auditorium room by alphabet and then people will go over, get their ID, put it in the pouch,” Mr. Egan said. Administration will track the students that did not attend to make sure they receive their Yondr pouch.
The policy covers all smart devices, not just phones. This includes smartwatches, wireless earbuds, and smart glasses.
“Any smart devices should be away,” Mr. Egan said.
NCHS had previously used in-classroom pouches, but Mr. Egan said the real problem was what happened the moment students stepped into the hallway.
Photo by Milo Zinser
“The first thing they did was take out their phone,” he said. “And honestly, it would cause some problems, with kids not being that nice to each other or different things.”
While the previous “Off and Away” policy helped, Mr. Egan noted that relying entirely on student willpower throughout the day was a significant burden. “I think it’s still hard to have to do that on your own all day long,” he said. “It kind of just takes all of that distraction that you’re thinking about away from you.”
Teachers also flagged a rise in academic integrity concerns, including student use of hot spots even when their phones were away. Mr. Egan said, “While our kids are awesome, there are some issues with academic integrity that pop up. People looking things up or connecting to their hot spots, things like that.”
According to Yondr’s website, they produce pouches capable of signal blocking technology to prevent notifications, hostpotting, and screen mirroring from a phone to a laptop.
The Yondr pouches distributed were funded through last year’s budget process, and are designed to preserve the sense of freedom that defines NCHS.
“One of the best things about this place is the freedoms we give our students and they earn it,” Mr. Egan said.
The move also aligns with a broader statewide push. In August 2026, the Connecticut State Board of Education released a position statement strongly recommending that all districts restrict personal technology from the beginning to the end of the school day, citing research showing behavioral improvements, stronger social connectedness, and increased student engagement.
As for enforcement, Mr. Egan said the school will use a trust-based model with classroom checks. Teachers will also submit names of students not using their pouches, and families will be notified. If a phone is spotted outside a pouch, it will be confiscated.
Still, he pushed back on the idea of a formal, multi-step disciplinary system.
“I don’t want to make this a discipline thing,” he said. “We’re really an excellent school that I think is built on our student culture, which I think is second to none. I’d rather just kind of say, we’re going to do the right thing and we’re going to figure this out. We try to treat the students like it’s a college campus. And I wanted it to still feel like that.”
Communication through technology will remain accessible. “If any student ever needs to use a phone for any reason, come to any office. The main office, guidance office, you can even go into a teacher’s workspace. Somebody will let you use a phone,” Mr. Egan said.
Photo by Milo Zinser
“No one is ever going to be denied access to a phone,” Mr. Egan said.
He then spoke to the broader reason behind the policy.
“The phones have proven they can do some good things, so I don’t want to say that,” he said. “But there’s too much of a cesspool nature to social media, things always trying to get your attention. This is really being done to try and enhance your own well-being. And my hope is that everybody feels that and wants to do the right thing.”
He closed with a message of gratitude.
“I’m really proud of our student body,” he said. “I do think they’re trying, and I do think they’re going to make this work. I really hope everybody’s kind of proud of themselves because I do think it’s a noticeable difference when you see the hallways, the classrooms, the library, the cafeteria, that people are actually talking to each other. And that feels good.”
