BY PAM SHIP

Because there are so many distractions in students’ daily lives, the Apprenticeship Exploration School tries to eliminate the use of mobile phones in class.

In a recent email sent by AES Principal Lindsey Tavares to all parents, guardians and families of AES students, she explained the new policies and procedures that will go into effect on the first day of the new school year.

Like all public schools in Cranston, AES participates in an annual school improvement process that involves students, teachers, parents and community representatives.

“In this process, the team examines various data sources to develop school improvement strategies. One of the data the team examined this year was how many of our students received formal comments on their progress reports and report cards indicating that their cell phone distracted them from learning and negatively impacted their performance. Over 80% of AES students received these comments in the first three quarters of the last school year, indicating the need for a school-wide intervention,” Tavares said.

Since 2014, the Yondr Bag System has been used in thousands of schools around the world, including many in the Northeast, to help schools minimize distractions and maximize student learning.

“This solution was discussed with stakeholders including faculty, students, families, community partners and the AES Board of Directors,” Tavares said.

AES expects an enrollment of approximately 185 students this year. All AES students will participate in the Yondr bag system.

Tavares assured that all requirements for student accommodation would continue to be met.

When asked if this was a beta test for the other high schools in Cranston, Tavares responded, “The Apprenticeship Exploration School is a district charter school with a clear mission. Currently, AES is implementing a solution to meet the needs of its students based on AES student data.”

Tavares expressed confidence that all situations could be handled in an emergency.

“If a family member urgently needs to reach a student during the school day, they can call the main office. If a student urgently needs to make a call during the day, they can contact an administrator. In the event of a curfew or emergency evacuation, each classroom will be equipped with an emergency kit,” Tavares said.

Tavares has done her due diligence and gathered information from other districts where the bags are currently used.

“Cell phone distraction is a problem that many school districts and other charter schools struggle with,” Tavares said. “We believe the Yondr bag is the best system for AES because it allows students to keep their device(s) without being distracted by it during the school day.”

To avoid delays for the students, AES has already drawn up a plan for the end of the day.

“We have a streamlined system to quickly unlock students’ devices at the end of the day to ensure all students board the bus on time,” she said.

As for the cost of the $30 bags, Tavares said there would be no impact on the district budget.

“The school paid for it and we contributed some ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds that were available to us,” said Jeannine Nota-Masse, superintendent of Cranston Public Schools.

When asked how Cranston’s other high schools will handle cell phones this year, Nota-Masse made the following statement: “Other schools are following our district policy and are exploring various enhanced strategies to address the issue of cell phones in schools.”

The AES School on Sharpe Drive in Cranston is the former NEL/Construction & Career Academy. For more information about the programs offered at AES, visit aes.cpsed.net.