Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker held a press conference at Oak Park and River Forest High School today to promote a statewide cell phone ban in schools.
“There is real harm being done by social media platforms,” Pritzker said to members of Chicago-area media gathered in the West Gym. “It interferes with our ability to give children the most productive educational environment possible, and frankly it’s just time to get cell phones out of the classroom.”
OPRF’s cell phone policy serves as a model for the state, Pritzker added.
“You all set the standard,” he said. “I’ll just be clear: you all and a few other school districts have been at this for much longer than the rest of the state, and you’ve proved it has a positive impact.”
The proposed law, Senate Bill 2427, would ban “wireless communication devices” during instructional time, with various exceptions for students, for example those with health needs, those with special education accommodations and language learners. If passed, it would go into effect at the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
The bill was introduced in February last year, passing unanimously through the Illinois Senate but stalling in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Pritzker said the bill has been refined since then and now has a better chance of passing the General Assembly.
“The bill has been improved,” Pritzker said, noting that it addresses concerns about potential discrimination and covers instruction “bell to bell.”
“I feel more confident than I was last spring about getting this through,” he added.
OPRF administrators reflected on Pritzker’s visit. “It’s an incredible honor to simply have the governor at our school,” said Superintendent Gregory Johnson. “It’s so gratifying, it’s so special to have them here on this exact issue. This is something that really represents a lot of people coming together to make something happen.”
OPRF’s phone home policy, first put in place during the 2022-2023 school year, was proposed by teachers and put in place through collaboration with school administration. It requires students to turn off their phones and place them into numbered pockets called “phone homes” during class periods. Students are only allowed to remove their phones from the phone home with permission from the teacher for instructional purposes.
In her remarks at the press conference, Principal Lynda Parker said that the policy was intended to help students connect following screen-based instruction during the pandemic. “It’s great to know that we were on the cutting edge of making that happen,” she said. “And it’s really because of the faculty who makes it happen and the students who let us make that happen as well.”
Other supporters of the bill who attended the press conference included Illinois Democrats Rep. Camille Lilly, Rep. Michelle Mussman and State Sen. Cristina Castro.
“I’m really am very proud of Oak Park River Forest High School to be at the forefront in the state in our high schools really addressing the cell phone concerns,” said Lilly. “I’m very proud that Oak Park and its teachers and students have stepped forward in this manner.”
