Institutions across the Clayton County Public School District welcome students during "Opening Day," hosted by several schools, including Michele Obama STEM Elementary Academy. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
It’s opening day at Michelle Obama STEM Elementary Academy in Hampton, Georgia. Parents, students, and staff are being welcomed into the halls with music, high energy and scholar-colored balloons.
This is the first week of school for many districts around metro Atlanta — including Clayton County. School staff say they hope to maintain a positive and distraction-free environment now that classes have started.
Parents who attended the opening day say they’re excited for the upcoming year. Kateria Stewart says she wants her son, who’s in kindergarten, to continue improving his cognitive skills.
“This is my son’s second year at Michelle Obama. His reading from day one has improved tremendously from pre-K. Kindergarten, I can see him doing a lot more.”
Staff and students danced alongside a DJ in the main hall while Clayton County Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Smith greeted others as they arrived.
Smith says his goals this year are to boost literacy rates and student achievement through innovative resources and cellphone-free classrooms.
“Anytime we can shift to make certain that students have an uncanny focus on instruction, I think that’s a good thing,” Smith said. “We’ve always had a strong policy on electronic devices. We’ve already begun that work, and we’re well on our way to ensuring that our students have a focus.”
In May, Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 340, which puts a statewide ban on the use of personal devices in the classroom for kindergarten through eighth-grade students. The bill also bans other devices like tablets and laptops.
According to the law, the bans would take effect “beginning no later than July 1, 2026, no public school student in kindergarten through grade eight shall be permitted to access personal electronic devices during the school day.”
“We’ve always had a strong policy on electronic devices. We’ve already begun that work, and we’re well on our way to ensuring that our students have a focus,” Smith said.
According to Clayton County’s device policy, students cannot be seen using devices on school premises. They can only be used if “permitted by school administration for instructional purposes.”
Staff of Michelle Obama STEM Elementary Academy pose for a group photo amid opening day during the first week of school for the Clayton County Public Schools District. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
Recently, the district made some changes to the way it uses technology. It will limit school-issued, take-home devices like iPads to high school students only.
Macoyia Bates is a third-year computer science teacher at Michelle Obama Academy. Though she uses some tech to teach, she believes having no phones in the classroom improves how students develop.
“This is where we build a foundation. It’ll allow students more opportunities to be present in their learning learning environment without those distractions,” Bates said. “Molding their mindset … making them into our critical thinkers — our problem solvers, so you don’t necessarily need a phone or device for that.”
