The Cobb County Board of Education has unanimously approved banning cell phones in classrooms for some of the district's students.

The vote, which was held during the board's meeting on Thursday, was put in place to meet the requirements of Georgia's "Distraction-Free Education Act." The new law requires districts to ban cellphones and other electronic devices among students in K-8 schools. 

Cobb County's policy states that students who have an Individualized Education Plan, Section 504 Plan, or medical plan that mandates the use of a personal electronic device can still have access to the devices. 

Speaking at the meeting, Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the district already had policies addressing cell phone usage in classrooms. He said the current policy accounts for less than 0.02% of discipline infractions.

While Ragsdale said he believed that the decision of when a child can have a cell phone should be left to parents, state law required the bans.

"I made it very clear we would follow the law. Whatever the General Assembly passes legislation, we will certainly put that into practice," he said.

Post 2 board member Becky Sayler brought up concerns about how the new policy would impact things like headphones, which had previously been included in suggested equipment for some students.

"Middle schoolers wear headphones just like an accessory, like a headband to walk around. They're not even necessarily hooked up to anything," Sayler said. "This is going to be a pretty drastic change."

Ragsdale said he believed earbuds, headphones, and other electronics that were attached to learning devices are likely to be OK in schools, but others that are not connected may not be. He expected "tweaks" to the legislation after it was implemented.

"The one-size-fits-all does not fit," he said.

Unlike other counties and city school systems, Cobb County will not use Yondr pouches to ensure that phones can't be accessed during the day.

The policy will go into effect on July 1, 2026.