Michael F. Fitzgerald A Yondr pouch used by Cambridge Rindge and Latin School to keep cell phones out of sight during school days.

Students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) have just completed their first semester without their cell phones during the school day.

Under a new policy rolled out at the start of the school year, students lock their cell phones in Yondr pouches — lockable bags often used at concerts and other live events to limit device usage — at the beginning of each school day. Students lock the pouches with magnetic devices stationed at the school’s main entrances, and carry the locked pouch with them throughout the day, according to the CRLS Student Handbook.

To accommodate the school’s open campus, the policy allows students to unlock their phones for use during off-campus lunch and relock them when they return for class.

The policy came with a learning curve, according to student members of the school committee Eva Asraf and Zihaam Jama.

“In the beginning of the year, it took some more time to get to class, simply because the whole process was so new, and it was a little bit unorganized,” said Asraf, a senior. “But I think that with time, everyone adapted to the process, and it’s become a lot more efficient.”

Bethany Versoy / Cambridge Public Schools Eva Asraf, senior at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, at the School Committee swearing-in Jan. 5, 2026.

Jama, also a senior, added that long lines getting into school were “hectic” but after a few weeks students adjusted.

Still, students generally seem to feel unenthused about the bell-to-bell aspect of the policy, which mandates that a student cannot check their phone throughout the school day unless they go off-campus for lunch period.

“It’s not great,” said Sian Kim, a sophomore, about the new CRLS policy. “I don’t get why the school decided to do this — it’s the fault of the person if they can’t keep from using their cell phone in class.”

Asraf said she noticed the effect of the policy most during lockdown and fire drills, when she realized she would not have her phone to contact someone in the event of an emergency.

Cell phones bring chaos, not safety

Administrators told students that in most cases, having a cell phone in an emergency situation does not increase safety, Jama said. “[School administrators] said that you’re not supposed to have your phone in those moments. As much as you want to contact your parents and make sure you’re safe, it just causes more chaos,” she said.

Bethany Versoy / Cambridge Public Schools Zihaam Jama, senior at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, at the School Committee Swearing In, Jan. 5, 2026

The policy does have exemptions for students that require personal devices for medical needs, and an “alternative plan, such as a non-locking pouch” will be set up for such students.

Parents and guardians who need to contact a student during the school day are to do so through their Learning Community office, and students are to use a school phone to contact their families, the handbook says.

Alma Barak Yonder bags that hold phones were introduced to Cambridge Rindge and Latin School students in the 2024-25 school year. This year’s bags are different.

Some students miss their phones during moments in class. CRLS senior Neelu Trivedi found that she was missing her phone during Art and English classes, when she used to play music from her phone to help her focus and take progress pictures of her work. She says now she mostly uses her Chromebook to play music from YouTube and her art teacher takes progress pictures of student work.

Some students noted they felt there was more engagement now between students and teachers. “[The policy] works in ways where it gets people to actually contribute and participate in classes,” Jama said. “With me, I think I am more involved with the teacher. I grew more connections with them, stronger relationships.”

Subverting the cell policy

Perhaps unsurprisingly, some students are also finding creative ways to circumvent the policy. “People are definitely finding ways to bypass the Yondr pouches,” Trivedi said. Some students place other objects in the locked pouches, such as old cell phones or a deck of flashcards, she added.

CRLS Senior Oliver Ginnis said he has seen some students get caught with their phones and others get away with keeping them, “but what I would say is that regardless of whether people have their phone in the pouch, there’s certainly less usage.”

Distractions persist, however, Ginnis said. “I think there’s always going to be like an escape from work. And I don’t think the phone is what drives it.”

Chromebooks, which are school issued, can be distractions. Apple Watches are another, although the school’s official policy does ban all personal devices

Class level might also factor into how the policy is being followed. Some students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses said they noticed less of an effect of the policy in classes where students have always tended to be engaged with the teacher and class activities.

A phoneless school day is not entirely new to CRLS students. Students were previously required to put their phones away during class periods, a policy that placed an additional burden on teachers, according to some students and administrators.

“This school-wide protocol relieves individual teachers from the constant burden of managing phone use in their classrooms,” the handbook says. It also removes “the combative element” between the teachers and students, Ginnis added. Administrators cited teacher burden as a motivating factor behind the policy at an August 5 meeting of the school committee.

One area that remains unaffected by the new policy is campus social life, where most interactions happen without their cell phones anyway. Device-less lunch periods are even more interactive than before, according to Asraf.

“Not having your phone is educational, but it also builds social [bonds] and community in our school,” Asraf said.