Ga. lawmakers want a cellphone ban in elementary, middle schools

ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Georgia lawmakers are debating a statewide ban on cellphones in schools.

The Distraction-Free Education Act, House Bill 340, would require school districts to create a plan to secure students’ phones while in school.

“From bell to bell, no cell. From the beginning of the day, you put your phone away, and at the end of the day, you get your cell phone back. Then we allow the locals to figure out what program works best for them. There are many school systems here in Georgia that have already implemented a policy, and the results are staggering. Schools have literally transformed. In classrooms and lunch halls, kids talk to each other, interact, and socialize,” said the bill’s sponsor State Rep. Scott Hilton.

The bill only applies to public schools and kindergarten through eighth-grade students.

Districts can decide how they want to implement the ban.

Lawmakers heard about the app Detezo which creates a phone-free space by scanning a QR code.

Seven states, including South Carolina, have opted to ban cellphones in schools.

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In South Carolina, the ban started when students from kindergarten through high school returned from their winter break.

Every public school district in the Palmetto State is required to start implementing a student cellphone ban, if they have not done so already.

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