• John Marshall Civic & Business Leadership Parents, Guardians and Supporters,

     

    We’re making our schools a phone-free space to improve teaching and learning experiences using a system called Yondr. Yondr has been implemented in over 1,000 schools across 21 countries to facilitate an engaged learning environment.

     

    This change aligns with CMSD’s board policy that states that “To maintain a secure and orderly learning environment, students who choose to bring a personal cellphone or electronic device to school will have their phone/device subject to collection and/or storage during the student school day.”  This policy follows Ohio House Bill 250, which requires the minimization of cell phone use in schools.

     

    The Yondr Program utilizes a simple, secure pouch that stores a phone. Every scholar will secure their phone in a personally assigned Yondr pouch when they arrive at school. Scholars will maintain possession of their phones and will not use them until their pouches are opened at the end of the school day. They are required to obtain their Yondr pouch each day at arrival and are responsible for their pouch at all times.

     

    We believe that phones have great utility. We have also found that learning and social behavior improve drastically when students are fully engaged with their teachers and classmates. 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, please do not hesitate to contact the school directly at 216-838-6050 or attend one of our upcoming meetings about the adoption of Yondr that will occur on our back-to-school Meet the Teacher night on August 15 from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm. In addition, we invite you to take a look at the attached FAQ document and graphic on how Yondr works.

     

    If there is an emergency and you would like to get in contact with your child, please reach out to the main office at 216-838-6050. To best serve your child, we appreciate your full support in the adoption of the Yondr Program at our school.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    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 216-838-6050.

     

    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 phones - 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.

     

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

    The Yondr pouch is the property of John Marshall School of Civic & Business Leadership.

    If a student is caught on their phone:

     

    • 1st Offense - Pouch Phone & Message Home.
    • 2nd Offense - Phone Collected & Call Home. Phone Returned End of Day.
    • 3rd Offense - Phone Collected & Held for Parent Pickup and/or Planning Center

     

    If a student damages their pouch this is considered a level 3 infraction, specifically 3K - Damaging or attempting to damage property, and is a suspendable offense.

     

    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.