13-05-2025
Support grows for banning cell phones in classrooms across Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WGN) — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's proposal to ban student cell phone usage during class is moving swiftly through Springfield with bipartisan support.
And many educators are embracing the proposal.
A survey found that 90% of National Education Association members support the policy.
At Oak Park River Forest High School at similar policy was implemented two years ago, to tackle a growing frustration amongst teachers.
As students enter their classroom, their phones are silenced and stored in a numbered pouch.
Meghan Cahill is a school counselor at OPRF.
'The frustration was spending an additional, inordinate amount of time policing phones versus delivering what they love and passionate about which is the content of their class,' she said.
Cahill was on the original committee in 2018 when they returned after Covid. The frustration only continued to build.
Bill to block cell phone usage in Illinois classrooms passes Senate
Principal Lynda Parker says the faculty banded together and with parents developed a new policy.
'Even with adults when it rings, when it buzzes, when it lights up, you feel compelled to check,' she said. 'The students are the same way. There is an urgency to know what just came in versus staying focused on the content that is being taught.'
Countless studies have concluded wireless devices have transformed the school day. A 2023 Common Sense survey of students ages 11-17 found that 97% of students use their phone at school around 43 minutes a day. The survey said they pick it up anywhere between less then one time to 229 times during the school day. The median was 13 pickups. Thirty-two percent picked it up for social media and 26% for YouTube.
State Senator Cristina Castro co-sponsored legislation that will ban the use of wireless devices in classrooms across Illinois during instructional time.
'When you look at students focus, it should be on classroom and what their teacher is teaching, not their nose in a phone,' she said.
The legislation would ban all use of portable wireless devices during instructional time across the state. It does not apply to lunch time, recess, before or after school activities.
School issued devices would be excluded.
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Schools would determine their own cell phone policies and punishments.
The ban would be implemented at the start of the 2026 school year.
And exceptions would include IEPs, students with disabilities, emergency use and other situations determined by the school.
'By setting the floor, it gives school districts some cover to implement the policy without fear of upsetting people. A lot of folks don't realize how many parents and teachers want this,' Castro said.
Castro admits the policy has received lukewarm support from students.
It's been a bi-partisan issue across the country- finding support from California to Florida, Arkansas to New York
University of Southern California psychologist Dr. Ravi Iyer's work focuses on technology's impact on society.
He supports a 'bell to bell' ban.
'The full day restriction is what gives teachers the ability to no longer be the phone police,' he said. 'So they can work on teaching and the phones are away the entire day and everyone gets a break.'
But there has been some pushback, especially with a bell to bell policy. The National Parents Union recently completed a survey of 1,500 public school parents with children in kindergarten through 12th grade and found that 56% believe students should sometimes be allowed to use their phones in school- especially during lunch or recess, at sporting events or in class if approved by a teacher.
While some schools have embraced lock boxes, that wasn't a popular option in this survey. Of parents whose children attend a school with a cell phone policy, 59% support keeping phones in backpacks, 15% in a central location, 14% in a locked cabinet in a classroom.
The main reason parents want their child to have a phone at school is in case of an emergency.
Parents really have a very visceral reaction to the idea that their kids not having access to these communication devices,' National Parents Union President Keri Rodiriguez said.
Rodriguez says it comes down to trust.
'(Parents think) Until you make our classrooms safe, whether it's from gun violence, bullying, mental health concerns, you are not taking my kids cell phone,' she said. 'They will find a way around these bans. They will send their kids to school with burner phones. Kids and parents don't trust the systems. And parents don't trust the system like that.'
Proponents say they understand that viewpoint but also argue phones still don't belong in classrooms.
Two years in, the biggest issues at Oak Park River Forest is students mistakenly taking the wrong phone, an error quickly corrected.
Parker calls it a much needed break for everyone.
'Teacher said conversation buzz returned to the classroom. There were students asking each other questions, turning to one another, asking better questions, raising their hand to become involved,' she said. 'And the funniest part is someone passed an old fashioned note like they used to! I thought that was a cute. It was very much an active classroom around the learning.'
Last month, the bill passed the senate in a vote of 55 to zero. It is currently moving through the house.
Just last week, it passed the house education policy committee with one nay vote.
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