ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) — As New York schools plan for the return of students, they're also preparing for the new state-wide bell-to-bell school cell phone ban. To enforce this new policy, some school districts are using Yondr Pouches to keep students' phones locked throughout the day.

This school year, the Elmira City School District will provide Yondr Pouches to every student in grades 3 through 12. The pouches allow devices to be locked away from the beginning of the day until it's time to go home.

This process isn't new for the Ernie Davis Academy. That school used the Yondr Pouches for the first time for the 2024-2025 school year. School principal Colin Werfelman piloted the program. He said the program has proven successful.

"We saw more positive interaction between kids," Werfelman

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