Name: Growing number of schools requiring students to lock away cellphones while in class
Uploaded: 2025-03-25T05:46:00.000Z
Duration: 2 min 54 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

To-infinitive

At Montgomery, Alabama's Carver High, the morning rush to school is now a morning rush to scroll.

New this year, middle and high school students now forced to lock away their phones before the bell rings.

Principal Gary Hall pushed for the policy and the pouch to enforce it.

They were texting, tweeting, you name it, while classes were going in.

At the beginning of the day, students put their cell phones in these pouches.

Once it's locked, it is really hard to get back open.

This unlocking magnet, the only thing designed to free them.

We found a lot of cell phone cases with no phone.

I just love watching TikTok, so I got to have my phone.

I don't like the pouch because when I'm in math class, I like to take pictures of the notes and stuff.

We communicate more with each other now that our phone be locked up.

It made me pay attention when I don't got my phone.

Who would be using their cell phone if it weren't for the pouch?

The maker of the pouch, Yonder, says they're seeing an estimated 150% increase in schools using them in 2023.

Now working with over 2,000 schools across the country.

While most parents are for the pouch, others fear their children will not have their phone when they need it most.

If there's an emergency, how can I contact my child?

I mean, I'm in panic waiting until someone from the school calls and say, well, hey, there's a shooting.

Has it gone the way you thought it would?

District Superintendent Dr. Melvin Brown tells us the benefits are worth the risk.

We have to find a happy medium while at the same time, our ultimate goal is to make sure everybody's 100% as safe as possible.

Just one weekend, this school is already seeing a difference.

It's a revolutionized teaching for me this year.

Educators hope will unlock their full potential.

For Sapara, NBC News, Montgomery, Alabama.