Superintendents in Illinois Valley prefer to maintain local control when it comes to cellphones

Gov. JB Pritzker wants to keep cellphones out of classrooms. He’s told educators he’ll sign legislation requiring districts to have policies in place for the upcoming school year.

Superintendents in the Illinois Valley said they’re already there – in fact, many districts have policies governing electronic devices, not merely cellphones.

Oglesby Elementary Superintendent Michael Pillion said he’s looked through the advancing legislation and it looks consistent with current Oglesby policies and procedures.

“I don’t see much change in how we conduct the school day now,” Pillion said. “Students generally are compliant with a few instances happening towards the beginning of the year, but then tapering off. I have not received any complaints from parents myself.”

Pillion may as well have been speaking for his colleagues across La Salle and Bureau counties. Local school districts typically have policies in place already and most of the administrators interviewed said their rules should comport neatly with whatever the Legislature passes.

Pritzker had announced during his State of the State address an initiative to improve student performance by limiting the use of cellphones in Illinois classrooms.

Pritzker said he plans to put forward legislation “requiring all school districts in Illinois to adopt a cellphone policy that bans the use of phones during classroom instruction,” although the plans would reportedly need to make exceptions for emergency situations and for individuals with medical necessities or language barriers that may require the use of special apps available on phones.

Hall High School Superintendent Jesse Brandt, for one, anticipates no problem with compliance. Brandt said students are required, during instructional time, to keep electronic devices out-of-sight unless the student has permission to keep it handy, the device is permitted under the student’s individualized education program or it is needed in an emergency.

“Students generally comply,” Brandt said. “There are some cases where phones are turned into the office and a parent must pick them up.”

Ottawa High School also is ahead of the curve. Superintendent Michael Cushing said electronic devices must be kept powered-off and out-of-sight during instructional time (that is, when the bell rings), though OTHS carves out a few exceptions. These include personal emergencies, when prior permission is granted, or when the device is provided in a student’s individualized education program.

Similarly, La Salle Elementary has a policy on electronic devices in place, though Superintendent Brian DeBernardi acknowledged there are a few differences in the rules governing the elementary schoolchildren and the junior high students.

“For many of the grade levels, students do not have access to cellphones during school hours to a device,” he said. “This is purely based on age, so for the early childhood and early elementary grade levels a change in legislation has little impact on the district. As far as regular access to cellphones, I would say the middle school is the line of demarcation where students regularly have access to cellphones.”

“I would not directly say that cellphone usage in middle school is an epidemic. There might be instances where staff need to intervene, or there may be a student specific issue that needs to be addressed.”

As with any disciplinary rule, there are going to be violations. Jim Hermes, superintendent of Spring Valley Elementary Schools, where phones are to be switched off and stored during the day, said he is pleased with compliance at his schools.

“A majority follow the rules,” Hermes said. “Our teachers do a great job of monitoring their classrooms and our hallways. We have caught a few over the years breaking the rules, but the thought of possibly having the phone confiscated deters most.”

Jamie Craven, superintendent of Peru Elementary, said his district also requires students to stash their cellphones and smart watches (unless the device is used for medical reasons) and keep them off until the school day has ended -- unless permission has been granted by a supervising teacher.

“In general we do not have issues with this policy and this is not a major problem for us,” Craven said. “From a parent perspective I completely understand the desire for students to be able to have their devices with them for use before and after school, especially those who are involved in afterschool activities, traveling on buses, walking home from school, etc.”

Students aren’t the only ones with strong feelings about cellphone usage. Parents typically want to get hold of their children digitally. Denise Aughenbaugh, superintendent of Mendota High School, said parents generally are on board with the district’s policy.

“We support any parental decision to keep cellphones or other electronic devices at home and off of school property,” she said. “In our experience, parents prefer to communicate with their children through personal cellphone messages instead of contacting the district offices to relay a message to their students.”

DeBernardi said he’ll be watching for what comes out of Springfield but on the whole cellphone use has been discussed ad nauseam and the policy has evolved accordingly.

While it is unlikely Springfield will bring about major changes, DeBernardi said he’s monitoring the progress of two bills and has zeroed in on the words “wireless devices and/or screens.” He wonders about the scope and breadth of the legislation to come.

Craven said he thinks Springfield should simply leave the matter up to the school districts.

“We have become so dependent on devices it is almost a safety and security device,” he said. “There are multiple arguments on both sides of this issue but in my opinion this should be left up to each local school board, not a state mandate.”