CHAMPAIGN — Students in Champaign got a visit from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Thursday as he continues to promote a plan to limit cell phone use in K-12 schools.
Under Senate Bill 2427, each school district would create their own policy for banning cell phones in class by the start of the 2026 school year.
“In conversations with educators from around the state, there is one thing most commonly cited as an impediment to classroom learning: cell phones,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker cited a study from the Pew Research Center that found 72 percent of high school teachers say cell phones are a major problem in their classrooms.
Pritzker said students would be allowed to use smartphones in the classroom in certain circumstances, like if a student monitors a medical condition with their phone.
And the governor said Champaign is leading the way with its cell phone policy this year.
“[Champaign Unit 4] has helped to lead the charge in this work implementing its own cell phone policy this year,” Pritzker said. “Teachers, administrators and students have told me that there’s a stark improvement in the overall learning environment.”
How is Champaign’s cell phone ban going?
The Champaign Unit 4 School District banned cell phones in the classroom last fall.
Superintendent Shelia Boozer said in a recent survey, Unit 4 families and teachers reported the change is having a positive impact. She said students have been cooperative and are adjusting.
“We believe this approach will help Unit 4 students enhance their concentration, reduce anxiety, and ultimately improve their overall school experience,” Boozer said.
Centennial High School social studies teacher Mark Sikora said teachers can’t compete with how stimulating smartphones are.
“Student engagement definitely increases when they’re not being pulled into the cyberspace that their phone has provided for them,” Sikora said.
Sikora said it also means teachers have to spend less time addressing cyberbullying or combating misinformation that can spread quickly on messaging services.
Sikora said the key for districts is to get parents on board, and then back teachers if parents have issues with how the restrictions are rolled out.
According to Centennial High School junior Isaiah Allen, the Champaign policy strikes the right balance.
“I’m from Florida and they ban [cell phones] everywhere. You can’t use it in the hallways or lunch in some schools,” Allen said.
“As long as it stays moderate like it is, then I feel like there’s no problem with it.”
Allen said stricter policies force students to miss days of school from suspensions if they’re caught using their phone for even a few minutes.
So far, Pritzker’s proposal is a partisan one. Senate Bill 2427 has five Democratic sponsors.
Nationally, majorities of both Democrats and Republicans support cellphone bans, with a slightly higher percentage of Republicans supporting the bans, according to Pew Research.