(The Center Square) – A new Illinois bill would require all public school boards, including charter schools, to adopt policies restricting student phone use during instructional time by the 2026–2027 school year, with limited exceptions.
Moms for Liberty Lake County chair Marsha McClary supports the bill and said she thinks the decision-making should be left largely to local school districts.
“K through 5th grade probably shouldn’t have them at all,” McClary told The Center Square. “Middle schoolers maybe keep them in backpacks, and high schoolers should be mature enough to manage it themselves.”
One area of concern for McClary is the language in the bill about “secure and accessible storage” of devices.
“I don’t agree with the school taking the device and forcing [high school] students to store it somewhere all day,” said McClary. “High schoolers should be responsible enough to put their phone in their bag and leave it there.”
Senate Bill 2427 would require schools to restrict student cell phone use during class, with exceptions for medical needs, learning plans, and English learners. Enforcement through fines or police is banned, and policies must be reviewed every three years and shared publicly.
Some critics say the bill responds to students sharing controversial classroom content online, raising concerns it could limit transparency.
McClary pushed back on that notion.
“I doubt that’s the intent behind this,” she said.
While she acknowledged that viral sharing of curriculum has occurred, she emphasized that the need to reduce in-class distractions is the more pressing issue.
“These kids being on their devices during class is a massive problem,” McClary said. “Teachers are having a very difficult time enforcing this.”
State Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland, said cutting classroom distractions is key to improving performance and called for full curriculum transparency, noting some teachers are being recorded and criticized over controversial curriculum.
“We have to make sure parents are exercising their right to review all curriculum, and that we hold school boards accountable,” Miller told The Center Square.
McClary also voiced concerns about the limited transparency of classroom materials.
“Curriculum should be posted transparently on the school’s website for any taxpayer parent to see,” she said. “We’re paying for it. It should be accessible. I don’t think that allowing the kids to have the phone just so they can take pictures during class of curriculum, I don’t think that’s a good reason to not do this.”
Despite her reservations, McClary praised the bipartisan nature of the proposal and emphasized the importance of giving local districts flexibility.
“If you try to control a high schooler like you try to control a first grader, you’re going to lose,” said McClary.
The bill cleared the Senate and has been amended in the House. If approved by the House, the Senate would need to concur.
