THE MIRROR | Brian Batres
Van Nuys High School students receive Yondr pouches in a district-wide effort to reduce classroom distractions.
Following LAUSD’s announcement of a district-wide phone ban on Feb. 18, 2025, Van Nuys High School students were informed that in order for the implementation of the ban, signal blocking phone pouches will be provided to each student.
Originally planned for March 3, 2025, this morning, the school announced that Yondr pouches—a magnetic locking device meant to store cell-phones—would be distributed to teachers and students during second period.
As the pouches were being distributed, teachers across campus informed students of the need to comply with the phone ban rules by placing their phone in the pouch and locking it.
This was met with positive reactions from teachers, hoping to garner more attention from students in class.
While not all teachers have access to the magnet keys required to open the pouches. Those who do, however, can choose not to unlock students’ phones in case of emergencies. Students are required to go to stations placed near the school entrances and around the quad to unlock their phones.
Additionally, students are responsible for the pouches and required to maintain them for the remainder of their high school career, with a $25 fee for any loss, damage, vandalization or decoration of the pouches.
With the enforcement of this ban, many students refused to comply by placing different objects into the pouches, such as calculators or portable chargers. Students have also mentioned bringing a second phone, a trap phone, to place in the pouch in order to keep their real one throughout the day.
The extent to which the ban will be implemented is currently unknown, but time will tell how admin and teachers plan to discipline students who chose not to abide by the ban.