ELGIN — To strengthen student engagement and support academic success, a new law championed by State Senator Cristina Castro will create a statewide school cellphone ban, helping schools foster distraction-free learning environments.
“Teachers should not have to compete with a cellphone for a student’s attention,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “By removing this distraction from the classroom, we are giving educators a better opportunity to engage students and help them succeed.”
Under the new law, each school district in Illinois will adopt a policy prohibiting students from using wireless communication devices during school time – often referred to as a “bell-to-bell” ban on cellphones during the school day – on or before the 2027-2028 school year. The Illinois State Board of Education is required to publish a template wireless communication device policy by Sept. 1, 2026 to provide guidance for local school districts when implementing their own policies.
Students who need access to a device for medical purposes, accommodation plans, language access or because they are a caregiver are exempt. School districts can exclude lunch and passing periods for high school students if it fits the needs of their community. To ensure students are not met with restrictive punishments that set academic progress back, school districts cannot enforce their cellphone policies via expulsions, suspensions, fines, tickets or citations.
Over three-quarters of public schools in the U.S. prohibit students from using cellphones during class, including many school districts in Illinois. School districts with substantially similar policies already in place can maintain those policies until the 2030-2031 school year under Castro’s law.
“When students put their phones down, they are more likely to participate, collaborate and learn,” said Castro. “This law is about giving students every opportunity to succeed and ensuring classrooms remain places where education comes first.”
Senate Bill 2427 was signed into law July 28 and took immediate effect.
