MADERA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Students’ phones are getting locked up at Madera Unified middle schools. The district launched a phone-free policy Tuesday requiring students to store their phones in a locked pouch for the entire school day. “That phone is great for them to have while they're not at school,” Desmond Middle School Principal Brad Holck said. Every morning, students must show that their phones are locked in the pouches before they enter the building. It stays there until the end of the school day. The new system is part of a state-wide initiative to get phones out of classrooms. The school district will expand the policy to every one of its schools by July 2026. So far, the district has spent more than $100,000 on the pouches paid for through the Learning Recovery Grant. “We truly believe that it most definitely will have a positive effect on test scores, but it'll even have a more of a positive effect on mental health,” Holck said. Holck says most students cannot help but reach for their phones throughout the day – he compares it to an addiction. He believes this policy will help them detach from those devices. If they forget the pouch at home, they will have to hand over their phone to the teacher until the end of the day. However, if they forget the pouch more than once, a parent will have to drive to the school to pick up the device. The only person with the special magnet to unlock each student’s pouch is their teacher. However, Madera Unified School District Superintendent Todd Lile says they will immediately gain access to their phones in an emergency. “If there should be an emergency, there's no life that's more important than a pouch. So we'll be ripping those open - cutting them open. If that should happen, that's not even a question for us,” Lile said. District officials only see upsides to the policy. Eighth grader Javier Martinez, on the other hand, had mixed feelings. “What if there's an emergency and I need to contact someone? My mom was like, ‘I don't really agree about it, but I think you'll get used to it.’ Maybe it'll be good,” Martinez said. Lile argues, rather than prevent danger, phones actually increase danger on campus through an increase in bullying and recorded fights. “Cell phones haven't made our campuses safer. They've had the exact opposite effect. What makes us safer is knowing each other better, being better friends, being able to talk. So we really believe that without them, we're even going to be better,” Lile said. Although Martinez did not initially love the idea of having his phone locked up every day, he changed his mind when he saw the result. “Especially during a break, everyone's like talking. They're not distracted on their phones,” Martinez said. He says he even forgot about his phone throughout the day because he could not access it. He sees the new system as a net positive, helping students to connect without their cell phones.