Lima schools Superintendent Jill Ackerman discusses bus safety during a press conference with the Lima Police Department and AAA on Wednesday.
Charlotte Caldwell | The Lima News
WAPAKONETA — Students at Wapakoneta High School will soon be required to turn off and lock away their cell phones and smart devices when they enter school each day.
It’s one of the changes seen in the region as school starts.
Wapakoneta’s high school adopted a new policy this summer restricting phone use during school hours to limit disciplinary incidents, distractions and mental health issues caused by students texting or checking social media during class time.
“Cell phones are a distraction to our young people in the classroom,” Superintendent Aaron Rex said via email. “There are issues with social media and texting during the day, it leads to bullying and a multitude of other issues.”
Wapakoneta High School previously allowed students to check their phones at lunch.
Now, students will lock their phones and smart devies in pouches as they enter the building each day.
The pouches, known as Yondr pouches, are locked using magnets to prevent students from checking their devices during school hours.
While phones will remain in the student’s possession throughout the school day, students will only have access to magnets to unlock their phones as they leave school.
Magnets will also be available in the main office for students who leave early.
Assistant Principal Zane McElroy said the high school implemented a stricter phone policy last school year due to disciplinary and mental health concerns related to phone use.
The policy resulted in more disciplinary referrals but did not resolve the underlying issues, McElroy said, so administrators met with officials from other districts to learn about alternative approaches to enforce the rule.
“We determined that this was the best move to support our no cell phone policy,” McElroy said.
While Rex anticipates a learning curve, he said school officials using Yondr pouches reported positive changes in student attention, peer interactions and discipline.
The change takes effect Sept. 3, two-and-a-half weeks after school begins on Aug. 15.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation in April mandating all public K-12 schools adopt cell phone policies by July 2025, though the law grants districts leeway to determine the best approach to limit screen time and distractions caused by phones.
Universal free meals at Perry
Perry schools will serve free breakfast and lunch to all students for the coming school year through the federal school lunch and breakfast program.
The change means parents no longer need to apply for the free and reduced-price lunch program for their children to receive free meals.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the meal program, allows high-poverty school districts to provide free meals to all students without collecting applications from each student.
Schools are reimbursed for the meals based on the percentage of students who participate in other means-tested programs like cash welfare and food stamps, formally known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.
Lima schools also participates in the free breakfast and lunch program.
Commutes may be slower due to school traffic
The start of a new school year means increased traffic around schools and residential areas.
Drivers who fail to stop for a stopped school bus may have their photo taken, as Lima schools and other districts increasingly rely on stop-arm cameras to identify drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus.
Violations may result in criminal charges and fines.
Distracted driving is the leading cause of school bus violations and crashes, according to Lima Police Major Ron Holman, who spoke at a press conference with AAA and Lima schools Superintendent Jill Ackerman on Wednesday.
“Just put your phone down while you’re driving,” Holman said. “It’s not worth the risk to yourself or the rest of the kids.”
Commutes may take longer with school back in session, but officials cautioned drivers to slow down and obey traffic laws in school zones and residential neighborhoods where buses are picking up or dropping off children.
Teen drivers will be on the road more too.
“A lot of them are just learning,” Ackerman said. “We want them to get there safely.”
