To feel as though Yondr pouches are a cash grab?

[ProudMamaBearOf5]

Am I being unreasonable to feel as though these Yondr pouches for phones are a bit of a scam? For context, two of my DDs go to a private secondary school; their school previously had a no phones rule which was heavily enforced and worked well. I personally don’t mind my DDs going on their
phones at school as long as they didn’t get caught and didn’t use them during lesson time, as sometimes our after-school plans would change and I needed to contact them. My DDs’ school has recently introduced Yondr pouches after spring break, and on the first day, many children, including both my DDs, managed to open the pouches using pencils. The following day (only two days after the pouches had been introduced), many girls had magnets from Amazon which they are keeping in their bags to open their and their friends’ pouches. One girl even cut open her pouch. There seem to be so many easy ways to unlock them, and so far, teachers are oblivious. My DD13 puts an old phone in, and my DD15 uses her friend’s magnet to unlock it. I see it as quite pointless considering DDs told me the school spent around £100,000 on them; for some fabric pouches and magnets, it feels expensive. AIBU to feel this is just a big cash grab many schools and the government have fallen for?

No, I think they are a good thing.

I’d be really disappointed in my year 7 child if she did any of the things you’ve said in your OP.

The school sounds a bit useless. Is it costing you a lot of money @ProudMamaBearOf5 ?

I would be concerned about the level of addiction leading to that level of damage ro school property

So you and your kids are entitled and think the rules don't apply to you?

You are the problem in this situation. Why are you encouraging your children to do this? Why did you allow them to break the school rules about phones?

Tell the school, they will do spot checks
tell the other parents
take your kids phone off them for a week

the school needs to start enforcing it properly - generally this means spot checks throughout the day, and any phones seen during the school day are removed from the student, they don’t get an opportunity to put them back in the pouches and seal up, parents have to come in to collect. (This tends to work well as a punishment if it inconveniences the parents.)

My DD13 puts an old phone in, and my DD15 uses her friend’s magnet to unlock it.

Why aren't you telling your daughters to follow the rules?

@FancyBiscuitsLevelYes, this was exactly what they did previously however it has all gone out the window for a new system that doesn’t work.

BTW the teacher are unlikely to be oblivious- lots of schools have been running this system for a long time and teachers openly talk about the way kids cheat and break them. Schools are warned and so tend to have a plan in place for poorly behaved kids.

In a way the main benefit of the pouches isn’t just that it locks away most of the phones, it’s that it means any phone seen is automatically a breech of rules. No “oh I was just moving it out of my pocket into my bag” or “just using the calculator” or quickly hiding the phone. If a phone is seen not in a pouch, including being seen in an open bag or pocket - the staff know to confiscate it immediately.

@FancyBiscuitsLevel The school already had little tolerance for excuses about phones. However your point about any phone being out obviously breaking the rules makes sense

What I don't understand is why phones were ever allowed in the first place! No need at all, make the kids put them in lockers. Any emergency situations can be dealt with by landline calls and messages given, as it used to be.

So punish your children and then tell the school

Had Yondr pouches at my old school. They were excellent, a great compromise between outright phone ban and allowing easy access in an emergency/class use of mobile devices for research purposes.

Vandalism of them and then complaining about replacing them is a discipline issue.

Parents should be made replace any pouches vandalised by their children who think the rules don't apply to them .

Id be ashamed if my dds behaved like that.

I agree with you only that yondr pouches are a little bit useless. My kids have learned how to open them too.