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Ahead of state mandate, Marion County Schools bans cell phones in classrooms

MARION COUNTY, Ga. (WTVM) - When students in the Marion County School District return to class next week, they will be facing a total ban on cell phones and personal electronic devices, stricter than what state law currently requires.

While a new Georgia law mandates cell phone bans for kindergarten through eighth grade, Marion County is among the local school systems getting ahead of the curve by extending the total ban across all grade levels, including high school.

For Marion County High School Principal Derek Goodroe, getting personal devices out of the classroom is the single most effective way to eliminate daily distractions and restore instructional focus.

“I told a lot of the parents during open house 85 to 90 percent of the problems I deal with on a daily basis derive from the cell phones,” Goodroe said.

To enforce the district-wide policy, Marion County has developed specific procedures depending on grade level:

- Middle school: Students turn in their devices to their homeroom teacher first thing in the morning and pick them back up before dismissal.

- High school: Students hand over their phones to each teacher as they enter the classroom and receive them back when the class period ends.

Across all campuses, devices will be stored safely in secure pouches during learning periods.

While educators strongly back the measure, the policy has sparked mixed reactions from local residents and parents, many of whom worry about communicating with their children during an emergency.

“I have mixed feelings because the cellphones are a distraction, but if something happens, the kids can call and let the parents know,” said one Columbus resident. “It may be the last time they can talk to their parents.”

Another local resident agreed that while electronics belong out of sight during instruction, access during emergencies remains a key concern.

“I agree with putting electronics away—it can be distracting to a child,” they said. “But if there’s an emergency the child is having, the parents need to be able to contact them.”

Goodroe acknowledges that adapting to a phone-free environment will involve an adjustment period for students and staff alike. However, the district has clear disciplinary protocols in place to ensure compliance. Consequences for violating the policy range from a single day of in-school suspension to placement in alternative school for recurring offenses.

“We definitely don’t want to put anybody in alternative school about phones,” Goodroe said. “But we do want to make it where the kids are respecting the rules and putting the phones away.”