Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senators debate and pass bell-to-bell high‑school cell‑phone restriction
Summary
After hours of debate and a failed amendment to allow limited phone access between classes, the Senate passed House Bill 1009 to require local school systems to adopt bell‑to‑bell rules restricting personal electronic devices for grades 9–12.
The Georgia Senate passed House Bill 1009 on a largely bipartisan floor vote after extended debate about classroom disruption, student safety and local control.
House Bill 1009 requires local school systems and public schools to adopt policies limiting use of personal electronic devices for students in grades 9–12 during instructional time. Supporters described the measure as a correction to distraction and a safety tool; opponents pressed for local flexibility for older students and those with employment or childcare responsibilities.
The bill’s sponsor on the floor, the senator from the 48th, said the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
