The phones will be locked into bags like these, which will be given to the sutdents. 

Thorndale ISD, a school district northeast of Austin outside of Taylor, is going to lock students' phones away in special bags during school hours, saying that cyber-safety and cyberbullying instances could become "almost... non-existent."

The district will utilize a program for the 2022-23 school year called Yondr that requires students to put their phones inside a pouch with magnetic locks that they will carry with them all day, Austin station KXAN reports. The students can remove the phones from the pouch at the end of the day by waving the bag near a device that unlocks the bag.

The school district will also require students to place their wireless earbuds or smart watches into the pouch. A letter from Superintendent Adam Ivy said Thorndale ISD staff visited another school district using the Yondr program, saying it combated distractions and any cyberbullying instances were "almost... non-existent."

Students who do not follow the rules can face suspension and fines of up to $15.

The letter also states that law enforcement believes it is safer for students to not use phones during emergency situations. In Uvalde, where a gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers, students who were in the classroom with the gunman made calls to 911. Law enforcement has since been criticized for its response to the incident. 

"We asked about many different things including consequences, what to do in a lockdown, how parents can communicate with students, if there were any times that phones needed to be used, how to handle smart watches and airpods, etc.," Ivy says in the letter. "And they were able to say that they had found no credible reason not to implement the program and that the benefits have completely outweighed any growing pains."

The district is still looking at a plan that will determine whether a phone is necessary during a lockdown, but points out that there are phones in the classrooms.