Principals at Oconee County primary, elementary, and middle schools informed parents through their December newsletters that Oconee County Schools has updated its policy on use of electronic devices by students effective July 1 of this year.
The new policy requires that all cell phones and personal electronic devices must be turned off and stored away during the “bell-to-bell” school day.
The Oconee County Board of Education adopted the new policy on Nov. 10 of last year to align Oconee County Schools with Georgia’s new Distraction-Free Education Act (HB 340), passed by the legislature last year.
At that time, the Board also extended the policy to the system’s two high schools, though that was not required by the Distraction-Free Education Act.
The policy the Board adopted in November made an exception for the high schools, however, stating that students may access cell phones and personal electronic devices “during appropriate times defined by the school administration.”
School administrators have not yet communicated that policy for the high schools to parents or specified the “appropriate times” when use of cell phones and personal devices would be allowed.
House Bill 1009, introduced in the General Assembly on Jan. 16 by Scott Hilton, a Republican of Peachtree Corners, would “Prohibit bell-to-bell access to personal electronic devices by students in kindergarten through grade 12,” effective July 1 of 2027.
If the bill is adopted as written, the Oconee County Board of Education will have to revise its policy to reflect the more restrictive language of HB 1009.
December Newsletters
District administrators sent messages to principals at the system’s sole primary school, six elementary schools, and three middle schools on Dec. 3 asking them to include in their December newsletters details of the new policy, according to Steven Colquitt, Director of Communications at Oconee County Schools
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| Graphic For Use In Newsletters |
“Oconee County Schools has updated Policy JCDAF: Use of Electronic Devices by Students to align with Georgia’s new Distraction-Free Education Act (HB 340),” the message sent to the principals for use in the newsletters states, according to Colquitt.
“This law requires school systems to set clear expectations for personal electronic devices for students in kindergarten through eighth grade,” the message continues.
“The following personal electronic devices will be prohibited in the 2026-27 school year: Cell phones; AirPods or other wireless earbuds (wired headphones for Chromebook use are acceptable); Smartwatches, Smart Glasses, (and) Any similar personal electronic device,” according to the statement.
“Research shows that limiting cell phones and similar devices during the school day helps students: Stay focused and engaged in learning; Strengthen comprehension and academic achievement; Build social skills through face-to-face communication; Reduce exposure to cyberbullying and learn responsible digital habits; Improve self-regulation and executive functioning skills, (and) Maximize instructional time and classroom participation,” according to the message.
“Overall, fewer digital distractions lead to a more productive and supportive learning environment for all students,” the statement continues. “Thank you for your partnership in helping us create the best possible learning environment for our students!”
The statement does not include this statement, which is included in the Board Policy adopted on Nov. 10: “These restrictions do not apply to school buses, bus stops, or school grounds before and after the bell-to bell day.”
Implementation Of Policy
“K-12 School administrators were actively involved throughout the development of this policy,” Superintendent Melissa Butler said in a series of email messages beginning on Jan. 20.
“Their input, feedback, and on-the-ground perspective helped inform the work and ensured the policy is both practical and responsive,” she wrote.
“For K–8 schools, the established expectation has been that any electronic or personal device be put away and on silent throughout the instructional day,” Butler said. “Overall, this policy implementation reflects a continuation of current expectations rather than a substantial change in practice.”
“The district will continue communicating with families throughout the spring to ensure clarity, consistency, and understanding as implementation details are finalized through collaborative work with school leaders,” she wrote.
“As with all policies, implementation, monitoring, and enforcement are part of regular classroom management by teachers, school oversight by administrators, and district-level analysis by district administrators,” she continued.
“Since OCS already has clear expectations in place for the use of cell phones during the school day, this policy will not be a substantial change,” she said.
High School Discussion
“We have discussed the issue with the high school Student Advisory Council to get feedback from students and will continue to monitor this issue throughout the implementation period next school year,” Butler said.
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| Butler At Board Meeting 1/12/2026 |
“As of right now at the high school level,” she said, “our policy keeps the same core expectation (devices off and stored during the bell-to-bell day to reduce distractions), but it allows limited access during specific times defined by each principal.”
“In practice, the consistent focus is no device access during instruction, with any permitted access windows kept limited, structured, and school-defined for grades 9–12,” she said.
At Oconee County High School, Principal Matt Stephens has rolled out what he calls Tech Free Tuesdays.
According to Oconee County Schools Communications Director Colquitt, Stephens reports this “helps the students stay attentive to the people and the moments around them.” Stephens refers to this as an “eyes-up mindset,” Colquitt said.
Butler said that “OCHS’s Tech-Free Tuesdays are one example of how a school can build a positive culture around the purpose of the policy.”
“Both high schools are continuing to refine what works best for students while keeping instruction protected from distraction,” she added.
HB 1009, in its present form, “would extend a true bell-to-bell restriction to grades 9–12 by July 1, 2027, which would remove the local discretion currently reflected in the ‘appropriate times’ language” of the policy adopted by the Board in October, Butler wrote.
“We are closely monitoring HB 1009 and will adjust our local policy as needed to ensure alignment with any final state requirements,” Butler wrote.
Issue Raised By Students
At the Listening Session that House District 121 Rep. Eric Gisler held on Jan. 10, potential additional legislation regulating cell phone usage in schools came up several times.
A student from North Oconee High School told Gisler he is concerned about use of cell phones in schools and supportive of restrictions because “I'm seeing a lot of friends who are not paying attention or struggling, and I think cell phones are a big part of that.”
But the student said he also is concerned about school safety.
“School shootings are on a lot of minds at school,” he said, “and a lot of students are concerned with being able to contact parents."
The student asked Gisler to “keep in mind our right to contact our parents in emergency situations” as he considers how he will respond to any new legislation, such as the now introduced HB 1009.
“I appreciate that,” Gisler responded.
“Student safety will always come first,” Butler said when I asked her to respond to the student’s comments to Gisler. “In an emergency, it’s essential that students are able to focus on and follow the guidance of the teachers and staff members who are with them.”
“As soon as students are safe, our next immediate priority is to communicate clearly with families and reunite students with their parents in an organized, supportive way,” she said.
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