Illinois recently took a step closer to restricting the use of cell phones in the classroom.
The Illinois House Education Policy Committee approved an amended version of Senate Bill 2427 on March 25. The bill would amend the School Code to require school boards to adopt a bell-to-bell policy that would ban students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time throughout the school day on or before the 2026-27 school year.
According to the bill, these devices include cell phones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices and smart watches.
There are several exemptions, including when an instructor has authorized students to use devices for educational purposes, in response to an emergency and when a licensed physician determines that a device is necessary for the well-being of the student.
Legislators in the State Senate introduced the bill in early February 2025, following Gov. JB Pritzker’s call for cell phone restrictions in his 2025 State of the State address. The bill unanimously passed the State Senate in April. However, the bill stalled in the House and was not called to the floor before the end of the legislative session.
Now, parents and local organizers are eager to see the bill advance. For members of Screen Sense Evanston, a parent-led advocacy coalition concerned about the use of technology in the classroom, the potential cell phone ban is an important step forward.
“It is not fair to expect children and adolescents to be able to self-regulate and have that level of self-control to resist these intentionally addictive devices,” said Willard Elementary School parent Miriam Kendall, the leader of Screen Sense Evanston.
The group formed after parents concerned with excessive screen time and device usage came together to host educational events and community meetings. Last year, the group ran a community book club on “The Anxious Generation” by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, which focuses on the shift to a “phone-based childhood” and rise of mental health issues among adolescents.
Kendall said following Haidt’s work has motivated her to raise awareness and encourage parents to delay their children’s smartphone use.
“Part of growing up is learning how to manage through awkwardness, challenges, social conflict, and if you can avoid all of that at the touch of a button or a screen, that’s not healthy developmentally,” Kendall said. “So banning smartphones in schools gives kids a chance to develop those social skills as well as to learn without distraction.”
For some parents, like Screen Sense Evanston member and Willard Elementary parent Sarah Dreier, change starts at home.
Dreier’s family has gotten a landline, and she said she has seen more parents opt for such technology options for their children.
“It’s been really great to go back to the ’90s and have a landline and let the kids set up their own playtime,” Dreier said. “I think it’s been really, really beneficial in their social growth.”
Senate Bill 2427 follows a bipartisan, nationwide trend limiting the use of devices — particularly cell phones — in classrooms. Restrictions vary by state, ranging from bell-to-bell policies to guidelines for school districts to follow. Currently, more than 25 states have statewide policies enforcing bell-to-bell restrictions.
According to Education Week, Illinois is one of the 14 states that currently doesn’t require school districts to have a policy restricting cell phone use in schools.
“This is a piece of legislation that we’re talking about our kids, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat, if you’re a Republican, if you’re an independent,” State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) said. “The focus of this is on our kids, their education and their mental health safety, and this is a bipartisan issue and something we can all come together and agree on.”
Locally, Evanston Township High School tightened its cell phone policy in June 2024, requiring students to place their devices in a phone storage unit at the beginning of class. High school students can still access their personal devices during passing periods and lunchtime.
Evanston/Skokie School District 65 implemented a bell-to-bell policy at the start of the current school year, prohibiting elementary school students from accessing personal devices throughout the entire school day. Middle school students are allowed to carry devices with them as long as they are turned off and not seen on school grounds.
On March 23, the District 65 Board of Education approved about $528,279 worth of iPads and accompanying keyboard cases in a 5-2 decision, prompting criticism from several parents. Senate Bill 2427 specifies that wireless communication devices do not include any device that a school district or teacher “directly issued to, provided for, or required a student to possess.”
Prior to the vote, members of Screen Sense Evanston advocated against the purchase at board meetings and through the group’s newsletter. Screen Sense Evanston also circulated a petition calling for limits to screen time in class.
In addition to Senate Bill 2427, the legislature is considering Senate Bill 3735, or the Student Educational Technologies Rights Act, which would give parents the right to opt their children out of school-issued personal electronic devices.
“These battles are going to be won at the government level, and I think that’s where we can advocate locally,” Kendall said. “Then I think we have to turn our attention more globally in terms of either state legislation or national legislation.”
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