Highland Park ISD middle and high school students are holding their heads a little higher as they walk down the halls this fall.
They no longer have the option of looking down at their cellphones, smart watches, or tablets, which must remain out-of-sight in Yondr pouches during the school day.
HPISD distributed the fabric pouches with magnetic locks to students in fifth through 12th grade earlier this school year in compliance with House Bill 1481, which requires public school districts to restrict the use of personal communication devices.
HPISD administrators said that students have been compliant with the new policy. Instead of practicing their texting, they’re honing their skills at the low-tech, but timeless, art of conversation.
“I see a lot more kids interacting with each other and with me during passing period … I’ve tangibly noticed kids with their heads up, looking, smiling, greeting, talking with me as we walk down the hallway,” said Highland Park High School principal Kevin Hunt.
HPISD deputy superintendent Shorr Heathcote said that the new rules are working well at both the McCulloch Intermediate School/Highland Park Middle School campus and the high school.
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“We’re not getting any pushback,” she said. “The hallways are louder because kids are talking and engaging with each other.”
Hunt said that the restriction has been a positive change at the high school, where students were already barred from using or having out cellular devices in classrooms.
“I can imagine it being quite difficult in some places,” he said, “but at Highland Park High School, the kids have done really well with it.”
