Illinois school phone ban legislation, Senate Bill 2427, cleared both chambers and now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker for signature, requiring new rules across the state.
The bill mandates a bell-to-bell prohibition on student cell phone use for elementary and middle school students, while high school students may use phones during lunch or passing periods at each district's discretion.
The law exempts school-issued devices used for instruction and allows use for medical needs, individualized education programs, English learner support and primary caregiving responsibilities for a family member.
Enforcement language bars fines, fees, suspensions, expulsions and the involvement of local police or school resource officers as tools to enforce the ban, and the bill requires districts to adopt phone storage guidelines.
The measure sets statewide requirements for most public and charter schools and was promoted by Gov. Pritzker, who said the ban would reduce unchecked screen time and classroom disruption.
Reactions Costs And Evidence On Impact
Advocates and school leaders described classroom improvements under local bans, with Glenbrook High School District 225 and Evanston Township High School reporting greater student focus after adopting phone storage systems.
Supporters cite research and teacher concern, noting a Pew Research study that found 72 percent of high school teachers identified cell phone distraction as a major classroom problem, as reported by the governor's office.
Other studies offer mixed results, with a RAND Corp. study finding improvements in test scores and attendance in one Florida district, while an April report from the National Bureau of Economic Research found little to no effect on achievement, bullying or attendance.
A 2026 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that students in schools with restrictions still spent more than an hour a day on phones during the school day on average.
District leaders and advocates raised practical concerns about storage costs. Yondr pouch pricing ranges between twenty and twenty-five dollars per student, according to a Yondr spokesperson, and districts such as Elgin U-46, Danville and Peoria reported six-figure purchases for pouches and bases.
Hal Woods of Kids First Chicago warned about costs for large districts, mentioning Chicago Public Schools' scale and saying districts will have questions about funding storage solutions.
Representative Michelle Mussman described teachers' frustration policing phones and said she expects the measure to help focus students and reduce bullying, while Jessica Handy of Stand for Children called phones a major classroom distraction.
Schools with existing policies that differ may keep them temporarily, and the bill requires district policy reviews at least every three years to assess effectiveness.
