Whitney M. Young

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   June 26, 2025

Dear Whitney M. Young Parents, Guardians, Caregivers, and Families, 

We hope that you are all having a great summer thus far! We are anticipating a wonderful upcoming school year focused on scholar academic and behavior success. The Whitney M. Young administrative team and teachers agree that one way to achieve our goals is to limit the amount of distraction from cellphones and other electronics. We have invested in a solution that will allow our Whitney M. Young scholars to achieve growth. In the upcoming school year of 2025-2026, we will  continue to make our school a phone-free space to improve teaching and learning using a system called YONDR for PreK through eighth grade. Yondr has been implemented in over 1,000 schools across 21 countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment. Additionally, all CMSD schools have also implemented this program.

We believe that phones in this generation have great utility. We have also found that learning and social behavior improve drastically when students are fully engaged with their teachers and classmates.

The Yondr Program utilizes a simple, secure pouch that stores a phone. Every student will secure their phone in a personally assigned Yondr pouch when they arrive after turning them off and before entering the atrium each day. Students will maintain possession of their phones and will not use them until their pouches are opened at the end of the school day by a staff member. The pouches will reside at the school when not in use and will not go home with the scholars, as they are school property.

Yondr recently surveyed over 900 school partners to measure the effects of creating phone-free educational environments. These schools achieved notable progress in multiple areas:

• 65% of schools saw an improvement in academic performance.
• 74% of schools saw an improvement in student behavior.
• 83% of schools saw an improvement in student engagement in the classroom.

If you have any questions, we will hold sessions throughout the school year to review the expectations. Additionally, we also understand that emergencies occur so please contact the front office at (216) 838-5350 so that the information can be relayed in an appropriate manner as each classroom is outfitted with a landline phone.

In an effort to best serve your scholar, we appreciate your full support in adoption of the Yondr Program at our school. “We are the Warrriors”.

Thank you,

The Whitney M. Young Admin Team

Carlisha Bias (Principal)/ Nicole Dykstra (Assistant Principal)/ Frederick McFarland (Dean of Engagement)

How Yondr Works

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I want to reach my child during the school day?

We want our students to be engaged in their learning. If you need to contact your child during the school day, contact the main office at 216-838-5350. Additionally, you can also reach the school and teachers through Class Dojo and teacher’s email, which can be found in the Parent Handbook.

What if there is a school emergency?

In case of a school emergency, we direct our students to safety first, following our school emergency preparedness protocol.

Will my student’s phone be safe?

Students are in possession of their phone - in their Yondr pouch - for the entire school day. We will advise students to store the pouch in their backpacks where it is completely safe. As each middle school scholar in grades six through eight are provided with a locker, this is an additional location I which the Yondr pouches can be kept, as scholars should not be sharing lockers.

What if the Yondr pouch gets damaged or a student is caught on their phone?

The Yondr pouch is the property of Whitney M. Young. If a student damages their Pouch or is caught on their phone, Administration will collect the phone/Pouch and call home:

• 1st Offense – Phone confiscated + Parent Pickup
• 2nd Offense – Phone confiscated + Parent Pickup + 30 Days No Phone
• 3rd Offense – Phone confiscated + Parent Pickup + No Phone Rest of School Year
• If a student damages their Pouch a $20 fee will be given

Note: Damage consists of any signs that the physical integrity of the pouch has been compromised, whether intentional or unintentional, as determined by the school or Yondr staff.

Phones are not to be used during school. Every student in grade three through eight is assigned a personal Yondr Pouch.

DAILY PROCESS

As students Arrive to School, they will:

• Turn their phone off.
• Staff members will open their Yondr Pouch by tapping against the Unlocking Base.
• Staff members will put the cell phones in a Yondr pouch and then place the Yondr pouch in a rack that holds individual Yondr Pouches. Each scholar has their own individual pouch so we are aware as to which scholar is using which CMSD provided pouch.

• This was designed to assist us in the event a pouch is damaged and needs to be replaced by the student or their family, as this is CMSD property.

• The rack will be placed in a locked security office until the conclusion of the school day.

• Yondr pouches will no longer be held by the scholars or kept in their lockers/cubbies.

As students Dismiss from the school, the following will take place:

• The cart will be rolled out to the alcove by a staff member where scholars will have their phones unlocked and returned to them.

*Students arriving late or leaving early will pouch/unpouch their phones in the main office

VIOLATIONS

Pouch Damage / Lost Pouch / Using Phone During School

If a student damages their Pouch or is caught on their phone, Administration will collect the phone/Pouch and call home for a Parent Pickup, community service/after school detention and a $20 dollar replacement fee.

Examples of damage: