Patrick Scott heard the reports. He spoke with officials at other schools that had gone cell phone-free and heard testimony about all of the advantages: the reduced distractions in the classrooms and hallways, the improved social interaction among students, the increased sense of belonging. 

Scott and others shared that message with the school committee months ago. 

Now he witnesses it every day. 

The Barrington High School teacher said the school’s move to cell phone-free, complete with the mandatory use of locking Yondr phone pouches that started in late January, has yielded significant benefits. 

“The decrease in phone use has been outstanding,” Scott said. “Not having to deal with it (cell phones) in class is so unbelievably refreshing.”

Scott said the school’s move to use Yondr pouches has experienced typical growing pains over the first two months of implementation — not everyone was excited to start the new process. A few students were resistant to the change, but not many. In fact, Scott said he has only identified four students violating the rules over the last two months. The vast majority, he said, have bought in and following through. 

“It is the right thing to do,” Scott said. “In the long run, I truly believe they (the students) will be better off.”

It will also be the law. Last fall, the Rhode Island General Assembly signed a law requiring every school in the state to have a policy governing the use of personal electronic devices that prohibits students from having access to them during the school day. The bill takes effect Aug. 1, 2026. 

Rolling it out

Chris Ashley was ready to start the Yondr pouch initiative weeks before it was rolled out to students and staff. The Barrington High School principal said he was initially hoping to kick off the cell phone-free program weeks earlier, but the team at BHS eventually decided it would work better to hold off until late January. Ashley said the timing worked well — the distribution of the pouches, the messaging to students, and other details.

“It just gave the school community a little more time to understand that this was coming,” Ashley said. 

The principal said the first couple of weeks of the program went well also. Most students adjusted to the new routine quickly. There was, however, a little push-back, he added. 

“There was definitely some grumblings,” Ashley said. 

For some students, the change was a bit more difficult. Ashley said some students decided to speak with their guidance counselors about the transition. 

Ashley said the cell phone-free environment had an immediate positive impact on the school community: in the classrooms, during lunches, even in the hallways as students passed from one class to another. 

The students are not defaulting to their cell phones, said Ashley. Instead, they are finding new ways to function without their devices. He said they are engaging with each other more — the students, when faced with a few minutes of free time, have resorted to playing “hang-man” or other games. 

“Frankly, they’re just kind of talking and hanging out more when it’s appropriate,” Ashley said.

Teachers, meanwhile, have reported that they feel like a weight has been lifted, said Ashley. Educators said they do not need to spend time policing phone use during class periods. 

“Now they just teach,” Ashley said,

Scott agreed. He said the cell phones created a major distraction for students. With the phones locked away, however, students have the ability to focus better, he said. 

“It makes an enormous difference,” Scott said. 

Students offered a mix of responses to the cell phone-free program at the high school. Some said they have noticed more engagement and interaction between students, especially during lunch periods. Others said it has not been too much of a change. And some said they prefer the school’s previous approach.

“In my opinion I think the Yondr pouch wasn’t the smartest idea because students would just work around them and they have,” wrote one BHS senior in a message to the Barrington Times. “The ‘phone home on the wall’ was working perfectly and the implementation of Yondr pouches made students feel like the right to have their phones was taken away. As well as the removing of personal devices, speaking from personal experience, the shift back to the Chromebook has [been] rough, especially in regards to the speed of the computer. I just feel that I can’t be safe in terms of an emergency like a shooting that has happened twice a little too close to home.”

Shortly after the school rolled out the phone-free program, officials emailed families with a reminder about the cell phone rules and repercussions for students who broke the rules. A first offense results in the student’s phone being placed in the main office, and the student can pick it up at the end of the day. A second offense resulted in the student’s parents having to come to the school to pick up the phone. A third violation would result in a meeting between school officials and the student’s parents.