Cobb County School District Cell Phone Policy, 2026–27
Cobb County’s cell phone ban covers kindergarten through grade 8. Under Board Policy JCDAF, in effect July 1, 2026, K–8 students may not access phones, smartwatches, earbuds or other personal devices on school grounds during school hours; devices must be turned off before students enter the building and kept in a backpack, purse or locker. Georgia law adds high schools by July 1, 2027.
- Location
- Marietta, Georgia
- Cobb County
- Enrollment
- About 106,000 students
- Atlanta area
Cobb County School District phone policy at a glance
- Policy
- Board Policy JCDAF and Administrative Rule JCDAF-R, Use of Personal Electronic Devices by Students
- Adopted
- Dec. 11, 2025; effective July 1, 2026
- Grades
- Kindergarten through grade 8
- Devices
- Phones, smartwatches, tablets, e-readers, headphones, earbuds and other devices that communicate, record, game or access social media
- Storage
- Turned off before entering the building; kept in a backpack, purse or school locker all day
- Field trips
- Non-instructional use allowed on daytime off-campus trips, within district rules
- Emergencies
- Handled through the school’s emergency communication system; parents contact the school directly
- Exceptions
- An IEP, 504 plan or medical plan that explicitly requires the device
- Consequences
- Progressive discipline under the Student Code of Conduct (Administrative Rule JCDA-R)
Last verified Oct. 12, 2026 against the district’s published policy and the state law it cites. Sources are listed at the end of this page.
What Cobb’s policy says
Policy JCDAF bars students in kindergarten through grade 8 from accessing personal electronic devices on school grounds during school hours. The definition is broad: phones, smartwatches, tablets, e-readers, headphones, earbuds and any device that can communicate, browse, record video, play games or reach social media. School-issued instructional equipment isn’t affected.
The companion Administrative Rule JCDAF-R says devices must be turned off before students enter the school building and stored in their own backpack, purse or school locker for the day; the district is not responsible for loss, theft or damage. Students may use devices for non-instructional purposes on daytime field trips, within district rules. Emergency communication runs through the school’s emergency system, and parents who need their child during the day contact the school.
Violations bring progressive discipline under the Student Code of Conduct. A student whose IEP, Section 504 plan or medical plan explicitly requires a device keeps access as that plan requires.
How it fits Georgia law
Georgia's Distraction-Free Education Act (HB 340, 2025), codified at O.C.G.A. 20-2-324.8, bars students in kindergarten through grade 8 from accessing personal electronic devices from the first bell to the final bell, beginning no later than July 1, 2026. HB 1009, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 5, 2026, extends the rule to grades 9–12 beginning no later than July 1, 2027. District policies must name a storage method (such as a locker, a locked pouch or a set place in the classroom), route emergency communication through school systems, and allow an exception only for an IEP, a Section 504 plan or a medical plan that requires the device.
Cobb’s policy covers K–8 as the law requires now. HB 1009 requires grades 9–12 to follow the bell-to-bell rule no later than July 1, 2027.
More detail is in our guide to Georgia’s school phone law and the phone-free school laws by state directory.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cobb County have a cell phone ban?
Yes, for kindergarten through grade 8. Under Board Policy JCDAF, effective July 1, 2026, K–8 students may not access phones or other personal devices on school grounds during school hours.
Does the Cobb County phone ban apply to high school?
Not in 2026–27; Cobb’s policy covers K–8. Georgia’s HB 1009 requires grades 9–12 to follow a bell-to-bell rule no later than July 1, 2027.
Where do Cobb students keep their phones during the day?
Devices must be turned off before students enter the building and stored in their backpack, purse or school locker for the school day.
Are smartwatches and earbuds allowed in Cobb schools?
Not for K–8 students during school hours. The policy covers smartwatches, headphones and earbuds as well as phones.
Sources
- Board Policy JCDAF, Use of Personal Electronic Devices by Students (PDF), Cobb County School District, adopted Dec. 11, 2025
- Administrative Rule JCDAF-R (PDF), Cobb County School District, adopted Dec. 11, 2025
- HB 1009, as passed House and Senate, Georgia General Assembly, signed May 5, 2026
LockedIn, which publishes this page, makes software that locks students’ own phones during the school day. It is not part of the district’s policy. Where Georgia law calls for phones to be stored away during the day, LockedIn would sit alongside that storage, not replace it.
See other Georgia school districts or school district phone policies by state.