Students in Illinois can take a deep breath right now. The state assembly has put on hold a plan to ban cellphones in classrooms by the 2026–2027 school year, but it’s still possible. During the fall veto session, lawmakers could look at the bill again, which would allow for more debate and changes.
The Need to Make Things Different
During his State of the State speech earlier this year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker spoke out against cellphone use in schools and called for limits. Senate Bill 2427 is a bill that aims to limit cellphone use during school hours. The governor’s office filed witness slips in support of the bill. The idea quickly received support in the state Senate, where it was passed by a vote of 55-0. After making it to the House, however, the bill ran into problems and did not get to a vote before the end of the congressional session.
Why Did the Bill Get Stuck?
There was support for the plan from both sides of the aisle, but time was running out. As the legislative session came to a close, attention turned to the state’s $55 billion budget for the next fiscal year. The plan to ban cellphones was put on hold. The main sponsor of the bill, state senator Cristina Castro, said that the language of the bill needed some “fine-tuning,” but she didn’t face much resistance.
Still, some people didn’t like the bill. Concerns were raised by teachers unions and other educational groups about how practical it would be to ban cellphones and what problems they might cause in emergency scenarios, like when there is an active shooter. For example, the Illinois Federation of Teachers liked the idea but wasn’t sure if they would support the bill until they knew more about things like who would be responsible if a phone got lost, stolen, or broken at school.
Concerns that were raised
One of the bill’s sponsors, State Rep. Michelle Mussman, also talked about problems, such as worries about students’ access to phones in case of emergencies, the possibility of bias in enforcement, and teachers’ duties when it comes to handling students’ devices. Lawmakers have been talking about these issues for a while now, and they hope to find a solution over the summer.
The Way Ahead
Even though there was a delay, the bill’s future still looks bright. Governor Pritzker’s office has said again that it will work to limit cellphone use in schools, stressing how important it is to do this in order to help students focus and do better in school.
Some things can be done around the bill as it is now. Some students might not have to follow the rules if they have physical needs or are following certain educational plans. Also, every three years, schools would have to look over their cellphone rules and let families know about the changes.
A Rising Trend
Illinois is not the only state that wants to ban this. Similar laws have already been passed in places across the country, including Colorado, Indiana, New York, and Tennessee. Similar bills are currently being discussed in Michigan and New Jersey. More and more research shows that students’ mental health is getting worse when they use their phones and social media too much, including making their anxiety and sadness worse.
A lot of parents and teachers support limits on cellphone use because it keeps kids from getting distracted in class. A poll by Pew Research found that almost 70% of adults support banning cellphones in schools. Parents of K–12 kids are more likely to support these kinds of rules.
How cell phone rules will change in schools in the future
As the argument goes on, one thing is clear: we will still be talking about cell phone use in schools. As of this fall, Illinois students may see changes in how their devices are used in school because lawmakers are motivated to get it right. For now, though, the fight over cell phones in Illinois schools has been put on hold, but more talks are planned.
