Metro Atlanta, North Georiga students head back to class with new rules
New school year begins in metro Atlanta
It's the first day of school for Atlanta Public Schools and many other school districts in the metro Atlanta and North Georgia area. Students will be dealing with several changes, including new teachers and new rules on the usage of cell phones and other devices.
ATLANTA - Thousands of students across metro Atlanta headed back to school Monday as several districts kicked off the new academic year with new academic initiatives, stricter classroom policies and celebrations to welcome students back.
Atlanta Public Schools begins year with no teacher vacancies
What we know:
Atlanta Public Schools welcomed students back with district leaders touting a fully staffed teaching workforce and a continued emphasis on academic fundamentals.
Ahead of the first day of school, the district hosted its annual Back to School Bash, where thousands of students received free school supplies, giveaways and information about after-school activities.
District leaders said they will continue building on the Back to Basics 2030 strategic plan, with literacy remaining a top priority. This year, APS is launching an accelerated literacy model at four elementary schools designed to help students build reading skills more quickly.
Superintendent Bryan Johnson said the district is prepared for the new school year.
"We have zero teacher vacancies. Our average teacher experience is about 14 years, and so we're excited about our teaching force, our leaders, our staff. Everybody. Bus routes are covered. So we're just excited to see students back," Johnson said.
Johnson was also scheduled to visit the district's bus depot before heading to B.E.S.T. Academy to greet students on the first day of school.
DeKalb reinforces student device restrictions
Students returning to DeKalb County schools will also see stricter enforcement of the district's "Disconnect to Reconnect" initiative.
The district said personal electronic devices — including cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, recording glasses and similar devices — are not permitted during school hours except in situations allowed by law. Some exceptions apply for students with medical or other special plans.
Officials said the policy aligns with Georgia's new Distraction Free Education Act while exceeding the state's minimum requirements by prohibiting students from accessing personal devices during the school day. The goal is to reduce distractions and help students stay focused and engaged in learning.
The president of the Georgia Association of Educators said limiting classroom devices allows teachers to spend less time policing students and more time teaching.
"Everyone can focus on our purpose, which is teaching and learning," the educator said. State lawmakers have also said similar policies have been linked to higher test scores and grades while reducing classroom disruptions.
Local perspective:
On Sunday, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church hosted one of DeKalb County's largest back-to-school events, offering prayers for students, teachers and parents before the start of the school year.
The church also honored the district's interim superintendent, school board members and all 138 school principals. Each principal received educational resources and classroom supplies to help support students throughout the year.
Newton County still recovering from cyber incident
Meanwhile, Newton County School System officials said phone service has been restored following a recent cyber incident.
Email and other network services remain offline while cybersecurity experts and the FBI continue investigating the unauthorized activity to determine whether any data was compromised.
The Source: The information in this article comes from multiple metro Atlanta school systems and Good Day Atlanta reporting.