Students at Roswell High School and Centennial High School are living under Fulton County Schools' bell-to-bell phone ban, and the district is now walking families through how it works.
The district released an episode of its "Let's Talk Schools" podcast on Wednesday, Sept. 30, featuring two administrators who explained what the personal device restrictions mean for students, families and teachers. Dr. Kevin Scott, the district's director of student discipline, prevention and intervention, and Dr. Terrell Awok, principal of Creekside High School, joined Chief Communications Officer Brian Noyes and co-host Samantha Maxey for the conversation.
The restrictions stem from two state laws. House Bill 340, the Distraction-Free Education Act, took effect July 1 and bars K-8 public school students from using personal electronic devices during the school day. That ban covers cell phones, tablets and earbuds, with exceptions for students with documented needs.
Gov. Brian Kemp then signed House Bill 1009 on May 6, extending the bell-to-bell ban to public high schools. That law does not officially take effect until the 2027-28 school year, as Fox 5 Atlanta reported. The district's podcast discusses the restrictions as though they apply across all grade levels now. Whether Fulton County Schools is enforcing the high school ban ahead of the state deadline was not made explicit in the episode description.
The K-8 ban launched Aug. 3, the first day of the 2026-27 school year. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade cannot access personal devices from arrival to dismissal.
"If students need technology at Fulton County schools we actually furnish them devices to use, but we are valuing face-to-face instruction, building relationships between our students and our teachers," Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney told Atlanta News First on Aug. 3, when the policy launched.
Educators on the podcast said they believe the change will reduce distractions, improve student engagement and create more opportunities for face-to-face interaction. District leaders suggested "a more connected school day may begin with fewer devices and more face-to-face conversations," according to the episode description.
The district projects enrollment of about 85,000 students for the 2026-27 year, according to its back-to-school page. Roswell High enrolled 1,999 students and Centennial High enrolled 1,589 in 2024-25, according to state education data. Both schools fall under the policy.
The podcast did not address how Roswell-area schools specifically handle enforcement, such as whether students use phone pouches, lockers or classroom bins. The high school mandate under HB 1009 takes full legal effect in the 2027-28 school year.
