BEAUMONT, Texas — Dozens of Beaumont parents voiced concerns about cell phones inside their kids classrooms Monday night at the Beaumont ISD meeting at West Brook High School.
District leaders say the policy states that students caught with a phone can either turn it in with a $15 fee or be suspended or sent to an alternative classroom if they refuse.
Already this semester, Beaumont ISD says that 206 students have been disciplined for refusing to turn off their phones. Some as young as the 4th grade.
To add to that number, 278 students did pay the fee and turned in their phones.
Now Beaumont ISD is researching how Yondr Pouches can eliminate all of this.
The pouches would cost the district about $150 thousand. Each student would have a pouch they keep all day.
The pouch is waved across a magnet to close it in the morning, and then open it at the end of the day.
"Students won't have time to text each other that, 'hey something's happening here. Something's happening there.' We know that social media influences our young people. So we're just trying to control the environment and make it educationally sound," said Randal Maxwell, Executive Director of Student Support.
12News also spoke to one parent who says while he thinks the Yondr pouches are a good idea, he's still on the fence.
"My son is a senior here at West Brook and I think that we need to have these type PF meetings. I just feel like right now we need to focus on some other things. The yonder pouches are not a bad idea I just think we need to look into it a little bit more," said Kevin Jackson.
Officials say studies from the Yondr Company have shown increases in engagement and academic performance in 900 schools across the country.
During Monday night's meeting the district also discussed a new tax rate to increase teacher's salaries which will be on the November ballot.
Beaumont ISD has two more community meetings planned.