Madera Unified School District is sending students’ electronic devices to “phone jail” in compliance with California’s Phone-Free Schools Act.

Five Madera Unified schools enacted a new phone-free policy on Tuesday that requires students to keep their phones locked away in a Yondr pouch.

Students are required to bring their Yondr pouch to school every day and must show their phones are locked inside before entering the building. This will allow students to keep hold of their devices without being distracted by them.

If they forget and leave the pouch at home, students will be asked to give their phone to a teacher until the end of the day. If students forget it more than once, parents will be asked to come pick the phone up under the new policy.

The pouches are unlocked via a magnetized device that the teachers will wield.

The district says students will gain immediate access to their devices in an emergency, a big concern for students and parents. “There’s no life that’s more important than a pouch,” says Superintendent Todd Lile, assuring parents that they can be cut open to allow students access if need be.

“Cell phones haven’t made our campuses safer. They’ve had the exact opposite effect. What makes us safer is knowing each other better, being better friends, being able to talk. So we really believe that without them, we’re even going to be better,” he said.

California’s Phone-Free Schools Act

Madera’s policy was prompted by the state-wide initiative to remove phones from school sites by July 2026 that was approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September. The bill cites multiple studies and phone bans enacted in other areas of the world that suggest the removal of phones promote a healthier school environment and student achievement.

According to the new law, unrestricted phone use in schools lowers student performance, particularly among already low-achieving pupils, promotes cyberbullying, and worsens mental health.

“We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues — but we have the power to intervene,” Newsom said. “This new law will help students focus on academics, social development, and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they’re in school.”

Madera Unified has spent more than $100,000 from the Learning Recovery Grant on the pouches. For now, only Martin Luther King Middle School, Desmond Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Madera Technical Exploration Center, and Ripperdan Community Day School have enacted the policy. Starting the 2025-26 school year, Madera Unified high schools will have the same policy requiring students to use the pouches.

Yondr in Action

Madera Unified isn’t the first district to implement Yondr pouches. Schools across the country are using the product, and they boast positive results.

This includes Bullard High School, located in northwest Fresno, which has been using this system for two years.

“Schools and districts, including Santa Barbara Unified and Bullard High in Fresno, have seen positive impacts of limiting smartphones on campus, with some reporting higher test scores, grades, and student engagement, and less bullying and damage to school facilities,” Newsom said in August.

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Similarly, the North Clackamas School District in Oregon began using Yondr in their schools. Ryan Richardson, associate director of the district’s secondary and high school programs, reported fewer discipline issues, and according to staff, students are more focused.