Illinois weighs statewide ban

Illinois lawmakers are again moving toward a statewide school cellphone policy, with a bill now pending in the House after clearing the Senate last year and a House committee on March 25. (ilga.gov, nprillinois.org) Senate Bill 2427 would require every Illinois public school board, and charter schools, to adopt a wireless-device policy by the 2026-27 school year. The baseline rule is a ban during instructional time, not necessarily all day. (ilga.gov, ilga.gov) The bill carves out exceptions for teacher-approved classroom use, emergencies, medical needs, Individualized Education Programs, Section 504 plans, and English learners who need devices to access class materials. It also bars districts from enforcing the policy with fees, fines, school resource officers, or local police. (ilga.gov) The latest House version goes further than a simple in-class restriction. Reporting on the amendment says elementary and middle schools would have to use a bell-to-bell ban, while high schools could let students use phones during lunch and passing periods. (capitolnewsillinois.com, dailynorthwestern.com) Illinois is one of only eight states without a statewide restriction on cellphone use in public schools, according to multiple Illinois news reports this week. Governor J.B. Pritzker renewed his support for the idea in February, tying it to classroom focus and student mental health. (nprillinois.org, education.illinois.edu) Supporters are pointing to schools that already tightened their rules. The Latin School of Chicago first restricted phones for the 2024-25 school year, then shifted to a full ban during school hours a year later, and students there told reporters they saw more face-to-face interaction. (capitolnewsillinois.com, govtech.com) Scarlet Gitelson, editor in chief of the student paper The Fulcrum, said in an op-ed that she would take a “more-connected community” over the convenience of a phone. Medill and Capitol News Illinois reported that students described classmates looking up between classes instead of staring at screens. (aol.com, capitolnewsillinois.com) Not everyone backing limits wants the same model. University of Illinois education professor Rebecca Hinze-Pifer told WCIA that phones can disrupt class, but said families also rely on devices to communicate, a practical concern lawmakers and districts still have to balance. (education.illinois.edu) The bill’s next test is the full Illinois House. If it passes and is signed, districts would have to put their own policies in place before the next school year starts. (ilga.gov, education.illinois.edu)