See how this Michigan school is using faraday bags to block cellphones in classrooms

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Students are less distracted and more engaged in learning at a West Michigan high school thanks to a bag.

Northview High School, in a suburb of Grand Rapids, has implemented faraday bags to block wireless signals and minimize cellphone use in the classroom.

"It's a real simple process. We've always had a policy of no phones, but its hard to enforce it all the time when teachers are teaching and kids may be playing 'cat and mouse' to keep them," Northview Principal Mark Thomas said. "We felt employing this makes it easy for every teacher and student to know what the expectation is."

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When students enter a classroom, they are given a moment to check notifications one last time and respond to texts. The devices are then slipped into the phone-sized bags and shut. In most classrooms, they are placed into a container or on individual desks.

By keeping phones within reach on decks, students have access to their devices for safety or in case of emergency.

While phones are in the bags, the devices can't receive phone calls and won't vibrate or notify the user of an incoming text or notification from an app. They also won't pair with Apple watches or wireless headphones.

Northview senior Oscar Sanchez, 17, said adjusting to the new routine was difficult, but he's starting to notice its benefits. He believes the bags have increase engagement with classmates by removing distractions like pop-up notifications.

"It's been a huge help for a lot of people," Sanchez said. "Something as small as checking notifications can decrease your grade or make it difficult to focus."

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