Hampden Academy is planning to require students to lock up their phones during the day later this school year.
The school will use magnetic pouches to hold phones and smartwatches throughout the school day, the district told parents in a September letter obtained by the Bangor Daily News.
The school, which is part of Regional School Unit 22, said in the letter that it decided to implement the new policy because it “builds on Hampden Academy’s ongoing efforts to develop a cell phone policy that truly helps students learn.”
Hampden Academy is the first school in the Bangor region to ban students from using devices during the school day. Multiple school districts in Maine implemented phone bans during the past year, including MSAD 75 in Topsham and Bath-based Morse High School in RSU 1.
RSU 1 was the first to implement a phone ban in June 2024.
While the letter sent to parents provides a timeline for implementation, RSU 22 Superintendent of Schools Nick Raymond said there is no “finalized plan in place for the implementation of the Yondr pouches.”
Administration is gathering information from students, staff and parents, as well as other schools that use the pouches, to help the school “better understand what might work best for our school community,” Raymond said.
Hampden Academy’s goal is to implement a new policy for phones by the second semester, but also to “ensure any changes made are both effective and considerate of the needs of all stakeholders.”
RSU 22’s current phone policy says that “each school, in consultation with the superintendent, may develop guidelines around authorized use necessary to implement this policy.”
RSU 22 School Board member Lester French declined to comment on the phone ban. He directed questions about the policy to Hampden Academy Principal Susan Thibedeau.
Thibedeau did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
A law requiring all school districts to create a policy by Aug. 1, 2026, passed in the Maine Legislature in June. A bill to enforce a cell phone ban across the state failed this spring.
More than 30 states require schools to have a phone policy, according to Education Week.
Hampden Academy’s ban will begin in January 2026, according to the letter sent to parents.
When students are required to use the Yondr pouches, they will place their phones and smartwatches in them at the beginning of the day and carry them throughout the school day.
The pouches can be unlocked at “designated magnetic stations and at designated times,” according to a frequently asked questions page about the new policy.
The policy will have exceptions for students who need to access their phones to manage medical devices like insulin pumps. Students can use a phone in the academy’s dining commons to call their parents during the day, and parents can call the school office to reach their kids, according to the frequently asked questions page.
The phone-free learning that the pouches enforce is meant to “improve focus, support work completion, build connections and reduce anxiety” in students, according to the school’s letter.
Phone bans in schools have been linked to increased student engagement and social interaction between students, according to a study by Auburn University. Some studies have shown increased test scores and decreased anxiety in students after such a ban.
The pouches cost roughly $30 each, according to Yondr’s website. Hampden Academy had an enrollment of 759 students in 2024, according to a school report, meaning a pouch for every student would cost nearly $23,000.
RSU 22 School Board members and school administrators did not respond to questions about how the pouches were funded.
Student and staff presentations on the policy will be held in October, according to the letter. A family information session will take place in November.
The pouches will be given to students on Jan. 12 and enforced on Jan. 20, according to the letter.
