Board approves student code changes to require Yonder phone pouches for grades 6–12

Duncanville Independent School District trustees voted to revise the 2026–27 student code of conduct to require secured “Yonder” pouches for students in grades 6–12 as part of compliance with Texas House Bill 1481, which restricts student use of personal communication devices during the school day.

Dr. Wifred Goodman, the presenter for the item, told the board the district secured a grant that covers most of the initial cost and included a full day of vendor professional development. "This just gives us another layer of doing so," Goodman said, describing the pouches as a complement to rules already prohibiting device use during class time. Trustees were told the vendor provided on-site training June 23 and the rollout will begin on the first day of school for high school and in a phased approach for middle schools.

Trustees pressed for operational details; a board member asked whether a sample pouch was available and how students would access them. Goodman confirmed the pouches lock and are unlocked at the end of the day via campus stations and that stations will also be available for students who leave for athletics. Trustee Sanchez asked, "How many pouches did we buy?" and was told the district procured 6,000 pouches to cover high school and middle school students in grades 6–12.

The presentation emphasized training and communication: campus leadership has planned station locations, parent and campus messaging will be distributed after board approval, and the vendor consulted with campuses during implementation planning. Trustees moved and the board approved the recommended revisions to the code of conduct and related procedures.

Next steps: staff will finalize communications to families and make sample pouches available to trustees and campus leadership for review prior to full implementation.