SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — High school students in the Effingham County School District will be required to keep cell phones and other personal electronic devices turned off and put away throughout the school day beginning this school year, expanding a policy already in place at elementary and middle schools. Superintendent Yancy Ford announced the change in a video message to parents, explaining that new state legislation signed by Gov. Brian Kemp extends Georgia's classroom cell phone restrictions to high schools. "We're not saying that our students cannot bring cell phones to school," Ford said. "But what we are requiring is that for our students that do choose to bring cell phones and electronic devices, they be turned off and put away from bell to bell instruction throughout the day." The policy follows House Bill 1009, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law in May. The legislation expands Georgia's classroom cell phone restrictions to include high school students, requiring local school districts to adopt policies prohibiting students from accessing personal electronic devices during the instructional day while allowing exceptions for students with medical needs or accommodations under an individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 plan. Under the district's policy, students may not access personal electronic devices from the first bell beginning the instructional day until the final bell signaling dismissal. According to the district's website, the policy is part of…
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