Back to School, Off Screens: Yondr Partner Schools Make Headlines
Sep 23
Written By Rob Richman
September is here, and with it comes a new chapter in American education. As students across the country return to their classrooms, phone-free policies continue to dominate education headlines from major national outlets to local news stations.
The movement toward distraction-free learning environments is gaining momentum, and Yondr partners are leading the charge.
Here's a roundup of the latest coverage showcasing how schools are embracing phone-free learning and the real results they're seeing.
Yondr Partners Making National Headlines
Major news outlets are highlighting the growing support behind phone-free schools. And in many cases, students are leading the conversation.
CBSNews.com, September 6, 2025
Schools around the country are partnering with Yondr to create phone-free learning environments. Yonkers School District (New York) share their experiences.
"Of course, there will be kinks, but we'll iron it out together," said Hattar adding that she already notices a difference. "There is more talking, it's louder, but it's a positive loud."
Dr. Sandy Hattar, Principal at Yonkers Middle High School
Business Insider, September 6, 2025
Katie Notopoulos caught up with Graham Dugoni, Yondr’s founder and CEO, to ask about the state of the phone-free schools movement, his company's role in it, and how he sees this changing the lives of young people.
"We don't just ship pouches to a school. We have a whole arm of the company that's all former educators. It helps with the implementation, the rollout, the policy creation, and the planning. So there's the pre-launch board, the logistics, and the policy. There's the actual implementation, which we help with on the ground, and then the ongoing support in the evaluation services."
Graham Dugoni, Yondr CEO
Washington Post, August 27, 2025
A Bethlehem Central School District student in Poughkeepsie, NY, shared her experience as a high schooler with phones banned only in classes.
"In classes we didn’t have our phones — people talked, obviously — but as soon as you stepped in the hallway, you saw everyone look down because they had gotten their phone back and they wanted to see what was going on."
Madeline Ward, Bethlehem Central School District student
Fox News, August 14, 2025
This Connecticut High school rising senior joined 'Fox & Friends' to talk about his school eliminating cell phone use.
"They’re called Yondr pouches. […] You just go up, quickly tap your pouch, it clicks open and you can just take it out. It’s very easy."
I am enjoying the policy a lot. I think it’s been super beneficial to not just classroom learning, but the social life of the students. Beforehand, you’d walk out of class into the hallways and people would be staring down at their phones. Now, it’s so, so different."
Zach Mangino, Wilton High School student, Fairfield, CT
Boston Globe, August 12, 2025
At least four Boston-area high schools, including English High School, started using Yondr pouches last year. Students are sharing their positive experiences.
"It was reflected in my grades. The teachers actually told me that they saw a big change. And it helped during lunchtime too because we had real connections. We were not just talking about what had happened on TikTok."
Laura Lara Santos (16), student
New York Post, August 6, 2025
To date, 2.5 million U.S. students have experienced the benefits of a phone-free learning environment by using a Yondr pouch.
"Our goal is to help create an environment for students that’s free from distractions — at least for the six to eight hours a day they’re in school."
Graham Dugoni, Yondr CEO
CHANGE IS IN THE AIR
As more districts recognize the transformative power of distraction-free learning, we're proud to support their journey.
Ready to join the phone-free movement?