Students returning to Dunwoody High School on Wednesday, August 5, will face disciplinary referrals or detention if they use a cell phone outside three narrow windows during the school day.

The school's PTSO posted the enforcement details on Tuesday, July 21, under the heading "Cell Phone Usage & Texting 2026-2027." Phones may be used only between classes, during lunch, and during ROAR (a daily advisory period) after the Dunwoody READS segment ends. At all other times, a student caught with a phone out is subject to a referral for "refusal to follow instructions" or "improper use of technology," or detention.

The page, signed by Coach Bass, leaves no ambiguity about wiggle room: "There are no exceptions."

The policy is Dunwoody High's local implementation of the DeKalb County School District's "Disconnect to Reconnect" initiative, which the district launched in 2024. DCSD is applying the restrictions across all 135 schools for 2026-27, extending them to high schoolers a year before state law requires it.

Georgia House Bill 1009, the Distraction-Free Education Act, mandates bell-to-bell device restrictions for grades K-8 starting July 1, 2026, but doesn't require the same for high schoolers until July 1, 2027. DeKalb chose to include grades 9-12 early.

Covered devices include cell phones, smartwatches, earbuds, and recording glasses, according to a DCSD press release authored by district spokesperson Carla Parker and published Monday, July 6.

One tension families should note: the PTSO page's blanket "no exceptions" language does not override federal disability law. The DCSD press release and HB 1009 both explicitly carve out exceptions for students whose Individualized Education Program, Section 504 Plan, or medical plan requires a personal device. How those accommodations will work in practice at Dunwoody High is not addressed in the PTSO posting.

Coach Bass, whose full title and administrative role could not be independently confirmed, framed the initiative as the year's biggest change, writing on the PTSO page that "Disconnect to Reconnect" is "one new mandatory initiative that will allow our staff and students to maximize learning, focus, and growth."

The first day of school at Dunwoody High is Wednesday, August 5. Families with questions can reach the main office at 678-874-8502.