Illinois House committee approves school cell phone ban

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The proposal to ban cell phones in classrooms is heading to the Illinois House floor.

The bill requires school districts to adopt policies to ensure students do not use their cell phones during instructional time in a way that meets the needs of their community.

Each school district will need to allow for exceptions in cases of emergencies, such as school shootings. Teachers would also be allowed to incorporate cell phones for educational purposes.

"The schools must allow exceptions for the management of a student's healthcare, to fulfill an IEP or a 504 plan, or when the device is used for translation services for students who are second language learners," said Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg).

Mussman noted that schools would not be allowed to enforce the cell phone ban through fines, fees, or deployment of school resource officers or local law enforcement.

This legislation passed out of the House Education Police Committee on a 10-1 vote with one representative voting present.

Senate Bill 2427 gained unanimous support in the Senate last month.

"Students need to focus on what's going on in the classroom and we want to help them be successful," said Sen. Cristina Castro (D-Elgin). "Let's get the distracting devices out of their hands and have their noses in those books."

If passed and signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker, school boards must adopt and implement a cell phone policy before the 2026-2027 school year begins.