Superintendent outlines timeline for Georgia cellphone ban, highlights scholarships and new CFO

Superintendent Mr. Eykston offered a brief update to the board on June 12, noting both district accomplishments and a statutory change the district must implement.

Eykston opened by offering condolences for recent losses in the community and congratulating the senior class for earning more than $137,000,000 in scholarships; he noted valedictorians with GPAs above 4.5 and praised staff contributions. He also introduced the district’s new chief financial officer, David Baker.

On state policy, Eykston summarized House Bill 34, described in the meeting as "Georgia's Distraction Free Education Act," and outlined the timeline the district must follow: districts must adopt a policy by January 2026 and the ban on cell phones in K–8 classrooms goes into effect in July 2026. "The law does not go into effect this school year," he said, adding that the district "is not going to invest any money into storage solutions for cell phones" and that the law allows the district to determine storage placement; the superintendent said storage will be in students' backpacks, purses or pockets and that the student code of conduct will be updated to reflect disciplinary consequences.

Eykston reaffirmed the district’s 1-to-1 initiative for student devices and said the district will continue to communicate with parents about implementation. The remarks were framed as informational; the transcript does not record a board-level policy vote on HB 34 at this meeting.