Forsyth County Schools Report Record Disciplinary Incidents in 2025

Forsyth County Schools logged a record high in disciplinary incidents in 2025, according to state data, with a dramatic spike in one category standing out above the rest: cell phone violations jumped 3,449% following the district's rollout of a new phone policy in August 2025.

The numbers tell a striking story. During the 2024 school year, the district recorded 83 cell phone incidents. In the first semester of the 2025-2026 school year alone, that figure climbed to 2,946. Of those incidents, 2,844 occurred in high schools, with only a small percentage originating from K-8 schools.

The policy itself drew a clear line between grade levels. High schools moved to limited cell phone use during school hours, while K-8 schools banned phones outright during the school day. District officials framed the goals around reducing distractions, improving classroom focus, and encouraging more face-to-face interaction among students.

District officials pushed back against the most alarming interpretation of those figures. The dramatic spike, they said, is not evidence that students suddenly started using their phones more. Instead, it largely reflects teachers actively enforcing a policy that previously had no equivalent on the books. In many cases, the recorded incidents involved nothing more than a student having a phone out at the wrong moment, not the kind of conduct that typically triggers formal disciplinary action.

That distinction matters for understanding the state-level headline. State data confirmed the record high in overall disciplinary incidents in Forsyth County Schools in 2025, with officials described as reviewing trends amid ongoing concerns about student behavior. The data showed a continued climb from prior years, though the state-level figures did not specify categorical breakdowns or identify cell phone violations as a distinct driver.

There were early signs of adjustment. As the first semester progressed, the number of recorded cell phone incidents began to decline. School leaders attributed the trend to students adapting to the new expectations, with the holiday schedule likely accounting for only a small portion of the decrease. The broader pattern, officials said, pointed toward improved compliance over time.

The full picture of what drove Forsyth County's record-high disciplinary count in 2025 remains incomplete. The state dataset cited has not been identified by name or agency, and no breakdown by offense category beyond cell phone incidents has been made publicly available. Whether other disciplinary categories, such as fighting, bullying, or drug violations, also trended upward during the same period is a question the district has not yet answered on the record.