When Yondr pouches were first introduced to our school in August, I did not have high hopes. I thought that students would always find a way to get what they wanted, no matter how much money the county spent trying to prevent it, and I was right. Unfortunately, the program is now more than just phone usage.

Former Governor Youngkin, Virginia legislators, and school board representatives asserted that screen time is detrimental to our health. Their solution was to implement expensive and ineffective Yondr pouches.

In September of 2024, APS piloted Yondr pouches at Wakefield, H-B, Jefferson, and Swanson, spending $130,000. Then, in December of 2024, APS invested an additional $115,750 to supply pouches to the remaining high schools. This total of $245,750 was spent on glorified coin purses with poorly engineered magnetic locks. What else could be purchased for this amount?

The cost of Yondr is surprising when you consider how cheap it is to manufacture the product. Each pouch costs $30 and costs $2-5 to make, including the neoprene fabric, magnetic lock, labor, and packaging. APS spent almost a quarter of a million dollars on a product with a steep markup and few benefits. Most students have found ways around the Yondr pouch rules by bringing extra phones, breaking the lock, or just not complying. Instead of solving the root problem, which is distraction, APS just handed a massive amount of money to a company that sells an overpriced “solution” that doesn’t even fix the problem.

Some teachers are also sceptical about Yondr, suggesting that it is an expensive symbol for a real issue. One thinks we could likely try less expensive solutions and achieve the same level of control as Yondr, such as hanging phone sorters or phone lockers.

Ultimately, APS has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into an expensive product with minimal results while ignoring cheaper alternatives. The Yondr program fails to reduce technology use and distractions in school and has become another waste of money that takes away funding for better things. If APS really wants to improve student learning, leadership could invest in more innovative solutions instead of pouring money into corporate products.