WOODBURY — Imagine your phone being locked up for eight hours every day, and not being able to use it at all. 

These new Yondr cases that lock at the start of the school day and unlock at the end are rapidly becoming popular in Connecticut schools, including districts in Torrington, Waterbury, and Naugatuck.

In those districts, every day at the start of school, every student’s phones are put in magnetically sealed pouches and stay there until the end of the day. This is in contrast to previous years or other school districts, where teachers have the option to put up shoe holders or allow students to keep their phones.

Nonnewaug science teacher Toby Denman thinks that Yondr cases would be unnecessary here. 

“I think what we have is working very well,” says Denman. “In a different setting, where the culture of the school may be different, I can see where the school may try to adapt to this policy.”

Principal Mykal Kuslis says that the Yondr pouches are great, but right now it’s not a reasonable option for Nonnewaug.

“I don’t think I can find room in the budget for that,” says Kuslis. “That’s got to be, what, $30,000, $40,000? Also, sometimes it’s good students to go on their phone every once in while.”

The difference between Nonnewaug’s current policy and the Yondr pouches is any student here can have their phone out during passing time, study hall and lunch, versus the pouches not allowing any phone usage until school’s over.

“I think kids should be socializing at lunch instead of being on their phones,” says Kuslis, “but sometimes once you pick your phone, you can’t put it down, and students may end up on it the rest of lunch or study hall.”

Ethan Butkus, a sophomore at Nonnewaug, doesn’t mind the current phone policy, but he doesn’t like the idea of the Yondr pouches.

“I do think some kids get distracted by [phones] in class,” says Butkus, “but if you take away phones for the whole day, then what’s the point of having a phone?”