Marietta City Schools cellphone ban now focus of groundbreaking study

MARIETTA, Ga. - Marietta City Schools is now part of a study involving the impact cellphones have on students. This year, the district implemented a cellphone ban for sixth through eighth graders.  

Since the first day of school, the first thing students do when they walk into class at Marietta Middle School and the sixth-grade academy is drop their cellphones in a pouch, where it gets locked up and put away for the school day. 

"As a former teacher, I can understand the distraction of having a phone in the classroom," said Terri Nicole, who has a son in Marietta Middle School.  

Marietta City Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera says since the policy went into effect, the children are more focused in the classroom. He says students are on time for class because they're not on their phones in the hallways, and he says there's a noticeable difference in the cafeteria.  

"It's the loudest I've ever heard it because kids are talking," said Rivera.  

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Marietta City Schools is teaming up with Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University to study the impact this no-phone policy is having on the students. 

"We're very interested in how children's perception of self change when they're not addicted to their phones and defining their self-image based on social media throughout the day. We're very interested in how classroom dynamics change based on kids being more focused," said Rivera.  

Researchers plan to look at students' academic performance, mental health and well-being. They are in the schools observing and conducting small group interviews with children and staff. Students, staff and families are filling out surveys.  

They will do the same at the end of the year and compare results.  

"If you check your kids' phone screen time, there is a lot, so I think there's going to be a big difference," said Teara Bridges, who has a daughter in Marietta Middle School.  

Since schools across the country are fighting the battle of phones in the classrooms, the results of this study could be far-reaching.  

"This actually can help every single school and every single classroom across the entire country," said Rivera.