DeKalb County middle schoolers will soon be storing their electronic devices in lockers during the school day as Georgia school systems begin to crack down on cellphone use in school.
“This investment addresses academic disruption, social-emotional risks and inconsistent enforcement of existing cellphone policies,” said Kishia Towns, the district’s chief of wrap around services.
The price tag for the lockers, though, has some school board members concerned.
The state’s third-largest district will pay $1.6 million to put cellphone lockers in its more than a dozen middle schools. They will likely be installed in December.
“While I 100% support restricting cellphone use in schools, I think this is a costly solution,” said Whitney McGinniss, a board member who voted against the purchase on Monday along with Awet Eyasu. “I do not think we need this investment and I would rather see the funding go into services for students.”
DeKalb is purchasing the storage lockers from Ricoh, a company that sells smart lockers like those sometimes used in mailrooms. The district’s lockers will be wall-mounted and will be accessible via a combination lock or keypad. Each unit will contain 40-60 compartments.
The district has roughly 18,000 middle school students.
DeKalb tested out methods to restrict cellphone use in schools last year. District leaders said the 18 pilot schools reported a decrease in suspensions, discipline removals and cyberbullying, and improved classroom management and student well-being.
The lockers build on that initiative, as well as helping DeKalb prepare to comply with a new state law: the Distraction-Free Education Act. Signed into law earlier this year, the act bans cellphones in public schools through eighth grade. The bill did not provide any additional funding to schools, which don’t have to begin enforcing the ban until the 2026-2027 school year.
Some school systems plan to use or are already using cellphone pouches, which stay with students during the day but lock so they’re not able to access them. Others are planning to require students to keep their phones in their bags.
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