Chicago Sun Times: Illinois’ proposed school cellphone ban doesn’t go far enough
Illinois legislators have taken a step forward with Senate Bill 2427, which bans student cellphone use during the school day. This bill excludes students in independent schools and it only mandates a bell-to-bell ban — from arrival to dismissal — for elementary and middle schoolers, giving high schools the freedom to set more lenient policies. These critical loopholes leave thousands of students unprotected.
Illinois — one of only a few states having not enacted phone-free-school legislation — lags behind much of the country on this issue, according to the Phone-Free Schools State Report Card.
Excluding independent private schools sends an alarming message to families who expect equal protection under the law. And, allowing high school students to have phones during lunch and breaks does nothing to improve mental health and safety. When they’re only required to put phones away during class, the online world simply waits for them in the hallways. For a student targeted by classmates, unstructured times are often when aggressive cyberbullying occurs.
My commitment to advocating for meaningful online child safety legislation stems from unimaginable loss. I lost my son Nate — forever 15 — to suicide after he endured vicious cyberbullying by certain basketball teammates and classmates at the Latin School of Chicago, through a basketball group chat, Snapchat posts and a Snapchat message cruelly directing Nate to kill himself.
Nate reported the chat and posts but appropriate measures were not taken to protect him. The school failed to notify us of Nate’s cyberbullying report, as required by law.
I am advocating for federal and state online safety reform and fighting to hold schools accountable when they fail to protect students. That’s why I’m deeply concerned about the shortcomings of SB2427.
The experience of some Illinois communities offers proof that phone bans work. Antioch Upper Grade School now requires students to lock their phones each morning using Yondr pouches and unlock them as they leave.
The results have been transformative, with a dramatic decrease in discipline referrals and behavioral incidents, according to Antioch Elementary District 34 Superintendent Aron Borowiak. When digital noise is removed, students choose to look at one another, talk and engage.
If Illinois politicians are serious about protecting children from online harm, this law must apply to all Illinois students, bell to bell. Anything less betrays parents and signals that equal protection is optional.
Rose Bronstein, co-founder, Buckets Over Bullying and Tech-Safe Learning Coalition