Vicksburg schools using signal-blocking pouches to keep students off phones

VICKSBURG, MI -- Vicksburg Community Schools is adding a new tool to keep students off cell phones in classrooms.

Starting this fall, high school students will be required to place their phones in velcro bags when they enter classrooms. Those bags are equipped with RFID technology blocking any incoming electrical signals.

The district piloted a program using the bags in six Vicksburg High School and Vicksburg Middle School classrooms last year. The principals of the respective schools shared the pilot results at a July school board meeting and district board members voted in favor of creating the requirement.

High school students will place the phones in the bag then leave the bag on their desk when they enter the classroom, said VCS Superintendent Kevin O’Neill. Students can still use