Gov. Pritzker Renews His Call to Ban Cell Phones in Illinois Classrooms
Mar 10, 2026
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During his annual State of the State address, Governor Pritzker renewed his call to ban cell phone use during school hours, stating, “It’s time to get cell phones out of the classroom.” The Governor’s office cited research showing that “72% of high school teachers identified cell phone distraction as a ‘major problem’ in their classroom.”
First introduced in 2025, Senate Bill 2427 could make this call a reality. The proposed bill was approved by the Senate last year, but the House is considering amendments that, if passed, will need the Senate’s agreement before Governor Pritzker can sign the legislation. If the most recent amendment becomes law, school districts and charter schools would be required to create “bell-to-bell” policies that ban the use of personal wireless communication devices from the first bell to the final dismissal bell, rather than limiting the ban to instructional time.
However, the bill does include some safeguards for students and opportunities for schools to make exceptions. Students must be allowed to use their devices if the use is medically required or included in an Individualized Education Plan or 504 Plan. A student also still must be allowed to use their devices for translation of learning materials or if the student is a caregiver. School policies may permit students to access their devices when staff authorize their use for educational purposes, in the event of an emergency, or (for high school students only) during their lunch period. Schools generally cannot enforce these policies via fines, fees, suspensions, expulsions, ticketing, or the deployment of a School Resource Officer or other law enforcement officer, except for uses of a device to engage in other misconduct that would be cause for suspension or expulsion.
Finally, SB 2427 has various requirements related to schools obtaining input while they develop and update these policies, distributing and posting the policies, and reviewing the policies at least every three years. While most schools would not be required to have such policies in place until the beginning of the 2027-2028 school year, complying with all of the requirements may involve significant work during the 2026-2027 school year to prepare.
For any questions related to this bill or other legislation impacting schools, please contact your Robbins Schwartz attorney.
