DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County Board of Education approved the purchase of cellphone lockers for middle schools.
The purchase will include both the wall-mountable lockers and their installations, for a total of roughly $1.6 million.
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“The presence and misuse of personal mobile devices during school hours hinder academic engagement, increase safety risks, and present challenges to consistent enforcement of school policy,” district documents say. “Wall-mountable cell phone lockers provide an equitable, scalable, and secure storage solution that minimizes these concerns, promotes student focus, and supports safer, more productive school climates.”
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According to the board summary, the wall-mounted cellphone lockers are part of the “Disconnect to Reconnect” initiative and the funding is meant to address issues of academic disruption, social-emotional risks and inconsistent enforcement of the district’s current cellphone policies.
Further documents from the agenda item, which passed at the most recent board meeting, state that there will be between 40 to 60 compartments per locker unit.
The purchase and installation agreement includes staff and administrator training, warranty coverage and technical support for the lockers, as well as location-specific site assessments before installation begins.
“Installation will prioritize entry points and high-traffic areas to ensure ease of use, visibility, and compliance with ADA and fire code regulations. The lockers support consistent enforcement of district policy, reduce device-related behavioral incidents, and allow staff to focus on instruction and student engagement,” documents show.
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