I Still Have Some Concerns With Georgia House Bill 1009

If you normally read my column, you might remember a column I wrote in March stating my concerns with HB 1009. The law goes into effect next school year but the question remains what affect will it have on administrators and teachers who are charged to enforce it. Or, at least it leaves a question in my mind.
The Troup County School System has already announced that the system’s schols will begin implementation of the HB 1009 for the 2026-2027 school year.
The bill establishes new state requirements for the use and storage of personal electronic devices in all Georgia public schools, including high schools.
The personal devices include cell phones, smart watches, tablets, E-Readers, headphones and Earbuds.
The law requested that the devices must be turned off or in silent mode and put away from beginning at the morning bell until dismissal of students in the afternoon.
Schools are required to mandate storage methods such as locker, locked pouches or designated classroom areas.
In the event of an emergeny, all communications must go through the school’s management systems and not to a student’s cell phone or other device.
While I agree that such devices can be a distraction for students I do have some concerns about the affect such an action might have at schools.
In my first column about the bill, I noted that some educators were opposed to the bill and I can understand why. I also quoted a story written by WRDW-TV’s Bridget Spencer, who actually interviews some educators about the bill.
Spencer actually interviewed some educators who opposed the Bill. The educators basically said that banning the cell phones would shift enforcement of the ban onto teachers as well as limit communication during emergencies.
Spencer quoted educator Darryl Adams who said he worried that the Bill would put the burden on teachers and administrators to police cell phones and that he felt it was a task that could invite conflict. There is no doubt in my mind that teachers and administrators do not want to have that conflict with parents and students.
If you have ever tried to take a cell phone away from a teenager, then you could understand where Adams is coming from.
I remember writing about a case in Texas a few years back that involved a cell phone and a teenager. A Dad took the cell phone away from his daughter and ended up in court over it.
Back in 2013, Ronald Jackson took his 12-year-old’s iPhone 4 after the girl reportedly texted mean messages to the daughter of his new wife.
The same day, officers from the Grand Prairie Police Department arrived at his doorstep and asked him to return the phone.
Michelle Steppe, the girl’s mother, had called the police, considering the act of discipline to be property theft. She felt taking the phone was an act of theft.
Jackson received a citation in the mail three months later for theft of property under $500, a Class C misdemeanor. He was offered a plea deal in January 2014 but requested a jury trial in municipal court.
The case was requested to be dismissed and refiled with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office as a stricter Class B misdemeanor, which can result in six months of jail time in addition to a $2,000 fine.
A warrant was then issued and Jackson was arrested in the middle of the night in April 2015.
When the case went to trial, his daughter took the stand to talk about her father taking her phone years earlier.
The judge later directed jurors to find him not guilty, which they did.
In theory, I guess taking a cell phone could be considered theft. In Georgia anything valued at less than $1,500 is considered a misdemeanor and carries a jail time of up to 12 months and a fine up to $1,000. So, I guess teachers and administrators do have concerns and why wouldn’t they?
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t disagree with the phone being turned off in the classroom or not being in the classroom, but I’m not sure, if I were an educator in this day and age, that I would be comfortable trying to enforce such a law.