Will Georgia’s cellphone ban extend to high schools?

There’s a push in Georgia to extend the cellphone ban into high school with the help of House Speaker Jon Burns, who expressed his support for the measure before the legislative session started.

“I do believe the time is right to address the cellphone issue in high school,” Burns said in a news conference before last week’s start of the General Assembly session.

In Wednesday’s episode of the “Politically Georgia” podcast, Atlanta Journal-Constitution political columnist Patricia Murphy talked to state Rep. Scott Hilton, who was behind last year’s bill banning cellphones for elementary and middle school students.

“It’s from bell to bell, no cell. (That) is what we call it,” Hilton said.

The Gwinnett Republican said it’s time for Georgia to catch up to neighboring states like Florida on the matter.

“Florida is seeing grades increase, test scores increase, fewer fights. I mean, the results have just been incredible. And I think because of that, you’ve seen so many states adopt this policy,” he said.

But he also addressed critics of the measure, including parents who said cellphones were a vital lifeline to reach out to students in an emergency.

“As a dad of three school-age children, school safety is front of mind for me,” said Hilton. “We spent hours talking to safety professionals who said, in the case of an active shooter or emergency, we want your child focused on directions and getting to a safe place first before being able to access the cellphones.”

Later on in the episode, Murphy talks to state Rep. Stacey Evans, D-Atlanta.

Evans ran for governor back in 2018 on a platform to extend aid to Georgia students based on income.

In his final State of the State address this year, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said he’d invest in a $325 million plan for a needs-based college scholarship program.

“College is not just tuition,” Evans said. “So this really puts together a package for students who have financial need.”