The Brief Thousands of students across metro Atlanta returned to the classroom as several school districts began the new academic year. Thousands of students across metro Atlanta headed back to school Monday as several districts kicked off the new academic year with new academic initiatives, stricter classroom policies and celebrations to welcome students back. DeKalb reinforces student device restrictionsStudents returning to DeKalb County schools will also see stricter enforcement of the district's "Disconnect to Reconnect" initiative. The president of the Georgia Association of Educators said limiting classroom devices allows teachers to spend less time policing students and more time teaching. Newton County still recovering from cyber incidentMeanwhile, Newton County School System officials said phone service has been restored following a recent cyber incident.