CBS News
Do smartphones disrupt the school day? Two Virginia schools take different approaches
Each morning, students at Martin Luther King Middle School in Richmond, Virginia, begin their day with a lesson in restraint — by handing in their phones.
“I’m not worried about the notifications I’m getting and who’s texting me or what’s going on on social media,” 8th grader Jazmine Anderson said.
The school began piloting a program last year to lock up cellphones in special pouches made by the company Yondr and store them in a supervised backpack. When the school first started using the locked pouches, they’d let students hold onto them. But that didn’t quite work, 8th grade English teacher Jasmine Armistead said.
“They were always messing with the pouch, trying to open it, trying to break in it, because again, they’re teenagers,” Armistead said.
Nearly all U.S. teens (95%) have access to a smartphone, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey.
A 2023 Common Sense Media report found that about 1 in 5 of the teens surveyed receive 500 or more notifications per day, many of which come during school hours. About 97% of survey participants used their phones for a median of 43 minutes during school hours, which is roughly the length of a class period.
Principal Annette Dabney says simply removing phones from the hands of her 500 students is the only solution.
“The engagement is up. Also our test scores are up, which is fantastic. Disruptions in classes are down. Teachers are able to teach,” Dabney said.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is the latest leader to issue an executive order regarding phones in schools. He’s requiring districts to limit or ban cellphones by Jan. 1, and many are already piloting programs. Twelve states in total are now banning or incentivizing a ban phones in class.
“I think it has been a real call on all of us. Let’s get to work, and let’s go to work for our kids,” Youngkin said.
When asked if he ever texted any of his kids while they were in high school, Youngkin said, “I’m sure we did, and I think this is part of meeting some of parents’ concerns. I mean, the basic concern that a pickup time has changed or a doctor’s appointment has changed. Those are the kinds of, I think, very practical concerns that need to be put in place.”
At Huguenot High School across town, they’re taking a different, less restrictive approach. Students turn their phones in during class, but can use them between periods and at lunch.
“It feels much better, because at least I can see my phone and if I really need, I could just go up and get it,” Tiffany Taylor said.
Last year, the school tried Yondr pouches but ran into problems. They switched to the less restrictive plan with input from students.
“I didn’t really like it, because I didn’t feel that I felt more safe without my phone. Because normally my phone, when I have it at school, it’s for emergency purposes,” Taylor said.
Another student, Ashanti Wallace, says not having her phone does make a difference.
“It just feels like almost refreshing. Being able to just not have a worry of like friends texting you, just being able to focus on the teacher and what they’re teaching,” Wallace said.
Principal Michael Massa said he’s found that taking away phones for the entire school day is something that “dysregulates” students.
“I’m not just going to say students — it’s adults, too,” Massa said.
When asked about potential criticism that the rules are too soft on students, Massa said, “I think that saying that you’re soft or hard on something is not really helpful in education. What we are is we’re mindful. And we lead with love in our school, and we want to make sure first and foremost that our students are prepared and equipped to learn.”
It’s an approach that everyone is learning to live with.
CBS News
Anna Sorokin, convicted con artist, appears on “Dancing With the Stars” wearing glittery ankle monitor
Los Angeles — Convicted con artist Anna Sorokin has hit the dancefloor on “Dancing With the Stars” with a featherweight – and very sparkly – ankle monitor.
The so-called “fake heiress,” who was convicted of swindling banks, hotels and friends in 2019 after falsely building a reputation as a wealthy German heiress named Anna Delvey, debuted the ballroom-worthy ankle monitor during the premiere of “Dancing With the Stars'” new season Tuesday night.
“It’s actually not a big issue at all. It’s pretty light and I asked them to make it tight so it doesn’t dangle. So it’s not so bad,” she told The Associated Press after the premiere. She and dance pro Ezra Sosa performed a routine set to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
“It’s the real star of the show, let’s be honest here,” Sosa said of Sorokin’s bedazzled ankle monitor.
“I think it’s kind of funny how people like – it’s not like an ankle weight,” Sosa said. “It’s not like 20 pounds. It’s like literally less than a pound and it’s not a big deal.”
John Carucci / AP
Sorokin acknowledged her debut didn’t go as planned.
“I feel relieved that it’s over,” she said. “I feel like my dance could have been a little bit better, but I’m happy I’ve done this and it was a great experience all over.”
Sorokin said she hopes viewers will be somewhat forgiving despite her criminal history.
“Hopefully people will give me, will give me a chance to show what I can do. And I served my time and I repaid my restitution,” she said.
Early reviews from fans weren’t positive, with the phrase “Anna Delvey’s Lackluster DWTS Debut” among those trending on the social media site X.
While she was released from prison in February 2021, immigration authorities picked her up shortly after she got out, claiming she overstayed her visa and must be returned to her native Germany. The “Inventing Anna” inspiration was in ICE custody for over a year before a judge cleared the way for her to switch to home confinement in October 2022 while she fights deportation.
Her release terms had to be amended to allow her to travel from New York to Los Angeles for filming.
While on home confinement, Sorokin has also gotten involved with a podcast and reality show.
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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