ATLANTA — A proposed ban on students using cell phones in all Georgia public K-8 classrooms was back before a House of Representatives committee on Monday.
As previously reported, lawmakers and district personnel from across Georgia were discussing a statewide ban on allowing students to have cell phones while in class.
The Distraction-Free Education Act would prevent students from having access to communication devices, such as those that have functions for internet access, gaming, recording video or sound, listening to music or other functions “commonly associated with personal electronic devices.”
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In the metro Atlanta area, multiple districts have passed and enacted bans on cell phones in classrooms, outside of emergencies, including Marietta City Schools and DeKalb County Public Schools.
The statewide version lawmakers are pushing through to prevent technology-based distractions in the classroom would have students unable to access their phones from kindergarten to eighth grade, with exceptions provided for by law, during bell-to-bell time periods.
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As defined by House Bill 340, bell-to-bell is “the period beginning with the first bell signaling the start of instructional time and ending with the final bell signaling the conclusion of the school day and shall include all scheduled instructional time, breaks, transitions, assemblies, and other school-related activities occurring between the start and end of the school day.”
If the bill passes, it would take effect “no later than Jan. 1, 2026, for all public school students in K-8 classes. School districts would need to have policies in place to meet the bill’s provisions by Aug. 1 this year, should the legislation pass.
Additionally, the bill says that districts must “establish appropriate methods for storing” the devices, which can include a student’s locker, a locked pouch such as a Yondr or other places in the classroom, at the district’s discretion for policy.
Districts would also have to set clear rules for devices to be used or locked up for off-site events and activities, including school-sponsored events and field trips, daily transportation and sporting events, as well as instructional opportunities that occur off of school grounds.
Policy decisions by districts for the purposes of the bill must also create clear communication rules for emergencies and make methods available to have parents who contact their students throughout the day able to contact the school directly.
If a student breaks the rules for putting phones away and being distraction-free in class, districts must create “progressive consequences” aligned with their code of conduct. Consequences listed in the bill include giving verbal warnings, taking away the devices or notifying parents and other appropriate actions.
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