Photo by Magenta on Unsplash

Georgia legislators move to ban cell phone usage in high schools with House Bill 1009 after seeing success and positive attitudes towards the personal technology usage ban in elementary and middle schools with House Bill 340.

Unanimously passed, Senate Bill 148 will establish a three-year outdoor learning space pilot program for K-8, remove the requirement of having a licensed physician in automated external defibrillator programs, and, stirring up the most interest online, increase the number of sick days for educators from three to five.

UPDATE: A subcommittee of the Georgia House Education Committee passes House Bill 1009, which would ban cell phones and other devices in public high schools starting with the 2027-2028 school year. #gapol

Watch the hearing here: https://t.co/eAcJfslsdU https://t.co/1W1jrzTvbC

— Rahul Bali (@rahulbali) February 2, 2026

WABE reporter Rahul Bali posted a tweet on February 2nd after HB 1009 passed, sponsored by Scott Hilton (R- 48th District), informing the public of the high school cell phone ban contents of the bill, which would begin during the 2027-2028 school year.

In a Pooler, Georgia Facebook community chat, parent Nisha Giustino shared her thoughts on HB 1009. She stands with the bills’ intention of lowering screen usage in schools but is ultimately against HB 1009 due to her safety concerns.

Gloria Jean Bell, an employee at Jones County High School, commented on a post from the Georgia Department of Education about SB 148, sponsored by Senator Bo Hatchett (R- 50th District). Jean Bell offered a suggestion to the bill, expressing her dissatisfaction with the current allocation of sick days.