“We are in a holding pattern, we are just waiting for the legislation,” Tad Everett, superintendent of Sterling Unit 5 schools, told the Sterling School Board on March 25 in regard to legislation that would ban or mostly curtail student use of cellphones during school hours.

The Illinois House Education Committee last week approved the House version of Senate Bill 2427, which would require Illinois schools to adopt policies by the 2027-28 school year that ban the use of wireless devices, including cellphones, tablets, gaming devices and laptop computers, during school hours.

The Senate bill would ban the use of devices for elementary and junior high school students but would allow school districts to govern high school students’ use of devices. The bill also includes exemptions for students with medical needs and who need devices for translation.

The Senate bill allows school districts that already have electronic device policies in place to keep those policies through the 2030-31 school year and then adjust their policies to reflect the language in the bill.

Gov. JB Pritzker called for limits on student cellphone use in his 2025 State of the State address.

Sterling Unit 5 schools have already taken steps to limit the use of devices.

Everett presented the changes to the SPS student handbook for the fiscal 2027 school year at the March 25 meeting. Those changes will be formally approved at the April school board meeting.

Among the changes is specific language that forbids students from using devices to photograph, record or video others without consent. The addition to the handbook says “taking, recording or obtaining photographs or video of staff members or students without their explicit permission is prohibited. This expectation is in place to protect the privacy, safety and rights of all members of the school community and to prevent misuse or distribution of images without consent.”

According to the handbook, Sterling already forbids the use of devices except during passing periods and lunch and requires devices to be stored in students’ lockers and only used in hallways during passing periods, before and after school and in the cafeteria during lunch.

In answer to a question from board member Gonzalo Reyes, Everett said the language in the Sterling handbook would be revised to reflect whatever the pending legislation would require, if approved.

“We are waiting on the governor. We don’t know at this time what the extent of the cellphone ban bill will be because I think this probably will pass,” Everett said.