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Glynn County Schools updates internet-use and device rules to comply with state laws; district outlines K–8 phone ban rollout
Summary
Staff reviewed changes to the district’s Internet acceptable-use policy under Senate Bill 351 and outlined procedures to implement the statewide “bell-to-bell” device restriction for grades K–8 required by House Bill 340, including storage, exemptions and progressive discipline.
District staff presented two related policy items to bring Glynn County Schools into compliance with recent state laws: updates to the district’s Internet acceptable-use policy to reflect Senate Bill 351 (protecting Georgia’s children from social media) and a proposed implementation plan for the Distraction Free Act, House Bill 340, which restricts personal device access during instructional time for grades K–8.
On the Internet acceptable-use policy, staff said the updated draft reflects statutory language on preventing access to obscene material on school equipment, establishes procedures for addressing complaints and sets measures for handling policy violations by students or staff. Staff noted local boards must adopt updated policies by Oct. 1, 2024, and submit them to the Georgia Department of Education by Oct. 15 (dates and deadlines were cited by staff as the statutory requirements referenced in the meeting).
On the Distraction Free Act, staff described the law as applying to grades K–8 and prohibiting student access to personal devices during bell-to-bell instruction. The policy draft listed covered devices (smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, e-readers, earbuds/headphones, AI glasses and other devices with communication, recording or Internet capability). Exemptions include cases where an IEP or Section 504 plan explicitly requires a device for a health or instructional purpose (for example, diabetes management via a Dexcom app), and staff emphasized those accommodations must be specified in the plan.
Ms. Hayward explained proposed operational details: districts must provide storage for devices, establish protocols for field trips and off-site activities that occur during instructional time, and set emergency and parent-communication procedures that rely on school communication systems (parents contact the school rather than the student directly). The proposed progressive-discipline approach described by staff: warning on a first offense, confiscation and return at the end of the day on a second offense, third offense taken to the office with parent pick-up required and further disciplinary referral if violations persist.
Board members asked practical questions about storage (backpack vs. classroom pouch), consistency across classrooms and athletics, concerns about theft in classroom pouches, and how principals and teachers would enforce the rule without losing instruction time. Staff said administrators and principals developed the approach collectively with school leaders and that schools already have classroom “hotels” or other storage options in many middle and high schools; staff offered to review procedures and bring back an update (board members requested a status report after implementation, suggested at the nine-week break).
Staff said they had received mostly positive feedback from teachers during early implementation and had already handled individual accommodation requests (for example, a diabetic student coordinated through the nurse). Staff asked the board to consider the draft policy and return for approval on the schedule discussed earlier.
Ending: Staff asked the board for feedback and signaled readiness to refine procedures (for example, specifying storage methods) before bringing the final policy to the board for adoption.
