Will County schools stand by cellphone policies as trends show districts tightening rules

Restrictions on cellphone use in schools have increased in the past year nationally, as some educators see them as distractions to learning and studies indicate the negative effects of social media on youth as phone use rises. In the past year, 10 states, including Indiana, have passed legislation regarding cellphones in the classroom.

Other states banning cellphones in the classroom include Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana, while Alabama strongly encourages every school district to set a policy. In a recent study, 77% of schools in the U.S. said they restrict cellphones outside of academic use, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Morris Community High School Superintendent Craig Ortiz said he hears from teachers constantly having issues with students using cellphones during lessons.

“It’s been a hot topic for us, and I know it has been for a lot of schools,” Ortiz said. “We have a long-standing policy that students should only use cellphones in class at the discretion of their teacher.”

This policy was created, however, during a time when teachers were using cellphones for parts of their lessons: Teachers could use them for polls or interactive presentations. Cellphones aren’t necessary for that anymore since Morris High School is one-to-one on technology, meaning every student has a Chromebook.

Ortiz said he doesn’t think there’s a need to worry about cellphone use in the hallway or in the cafeteria.

“There’s a lot of social media use, negative use or just being off task, and it’s not even that they’re doing anything wildly inappropriate,” Ortiz said. “It’s just texting people they shouldn’t instead of focusing on their work. We’re in that awkward place of needing teachers to own that and know we’re going to support them administratively if they send a kid to the office.”

One school that’s already enacted a strict policy is Coal City Unit 1, a district serving students in preschool through 12th grade. It’s had a pouches policy in place for almost five years, where phones are kept in a pouch visible to students in the classroom. They’re visible and accessible in case of an emergency.

Phones must be kept in backpacks and/or lockers during the day. Cellphones are taken from the students and parents have to pick them up in the office if they are used during class.”

—  Sandy Zalewski, director of communications for Joliet Public Schools District 86

Superintendent Chris Spencer said the policy is working so far, and he doesn’t see a future where the policy changes, although some teachers have had problems with students not playing by the rules.

“It’s embedded in what we do now, and I think parents understand that,” Spencer said. “Students can get to their phone if they need to.”

Although most Joliet-area school districts have compiled policies limiting phone usage on campus, these same districts are not moving to outright ban students from having phones in their possession. And there are no planned updates or changes to any of these districts’ policies for the 2024-25 school year.

The Herald-News reached out to some of the largest school districts in Joliet and the surrounding communities to clarify cellphone-use policies for students and received a range of answers outlining existing policies.

Joliet Township High School District 204

The district’s personal electronics policy explicitly allows for students to carry phones and devices, including smartwatches and handheld games, at school and use them with staff permission provided that they are not used “in any manner that interrupts the educational environment” including sending text messages or cheating.

The district handbook notes that devices “may be reviewed for content” and that their use is banned in locker rooms and bathrooms. Students who violate the policy will first be given a warning, then disciplinary measures can escalate to confiscation of the phone, a meeting called with the student’s parents or suspension.

Joliet Public Schools District 86

District 86 is the largest elementary school district in the Joliet area.

“Since we are a pre-K through eighth-grade district, student cellphone use is restricted in our schools,” said Sandy Zalewski, the district’s director of communications. “Phones must be kept in backpacks and/or lockers during the day. Cellphones are taken from the students and parents have to pick them up in the office if they are used during class.”

According to the District 86 handbook, phones must be turned off during the day unless a teacher grants permission for it to be used if it is needed in an emergency situation, and they cannot be used in a way that will “cause disruption to the educational environment or otherwise violate student conduct rules.”

Phones also may not be used for “creating, sending, sharing, viewing, receiving or possessing indecent visual depictions,” and any phone in a student possession may be searched for such content if a violation of the policy is suspected.

Other electronic devices, including music players and hand-held electronic games, are allowed to be used more widely if not in a disruptive manner. Electronic study aids also are allowed with teacher permission or the directive of a student with an individualized educational plan.

Lockport Township High School District 205

The district that serves students from Lockport, Crest Hill, Homer Glen and Fairmont states in its handbook that “LTHS supports the use of technology in the instructional setting, including classrooms, study halls, media center and cafeteria. For reasons of safety and security, use of technology in hallways is restricted during the academic school day.”

Students are barred from using noise-canceling headphones, and the use of phones in public spaces requires the volume on devices to be turned off.

District 205 also gives a list of ways technology can be “misused,” including disrupting the educational environment, violating the rights of others, using phones in locker rooms or bathrooms, academic cheating, taking photos or videos without school permission, or requesting a ride home from parents while in school without consulting the school nurse. Use of technology also is banned during emergency drills.

Breaking any of the technology-use rules can result in the device being confiscated by staff and an investigation by the district.

Lincoln-Way High School District 210

District 210 serves students from New Lenox, Frankfort, Mokena, Manhattan, and small parts of Tinley Park, Orland Park and Homer Glen.

The district’s student handbook states “students may bring their personal electronic devices and receive the same type of filtered internet access as on Lincoln-Way High School computers.”

The district further states that electronics may only be used in class with teacher permission and may only connect to the internet through the school’s Wi-Fi network to avoid the possession of “inappropriate material.” Phones also must be kept on silent or vibrate and can’t be used on speaker mode.

Students are directed to use an appropriate voice volume on the phone, and earbuds or headphones must be used to listen to music or videos. All use must not “disrupt the educational environment or violate the rights of others.”

Students also must follow all staff directives when using phones and may not use them in locker rooms, bathrooms or detention space. Other prohibited uses include cheating and taking unauthorized photos or videos.

Plainfield School District 202

District 202 takes in students from parts of Bolingbrook, Crest Hill, Joliet, Lockport, Naperville, Plainfield, Romeoville and unincorporated Will Township.

Linda Taylor, director of communications for District 202, shared the district’s policies for elementary, middle school and high school students.

Elementary school students may bring cellphones to school only for emergency purposes. Phones must be turned off, and students must keep them in their backpacks, cubbies or designated storage space. District 202 schools are not responsible for broken, lost or stolen phones.

Students may not use their phones during the school day, either on school grounds or the school bus. This includes texting and taking photos or videos and then sending them to other devices.

The only exceptions are when a supervising teacher grants permission and/or the device is part of a student’s IEP, 504 plan or health care plan.

Otherwise, building administration may confiscate phones, and students may then lose the privilege of bringing their phones to school.

The same policy also applies to tablets and wearable technology, such as AirPods, headphones and smartwatches.

Middle school students must turn off cellphones and keep them turned off from the time they enter the school building until the time they leave.

High school students may use their phones during noninstructional time such as lunch and passing periods, according to the policy.

When using their phones, high school students may not take photos or videos and send them to other devices. They also may not pose as a “District 202 school, administrator, teacher or employee via any form of communication and/or on social media,” according to the policy.

Otherwise, high school students must keep their cellphones and wearable technology off and out of site during class times.

“We tweak language almost annually,” Taylor said in an email. “[There are] no big changes this year.”

Troy School District 30-C

District 30-C takes in students from portions of Joliet, Shorewood, Channahon, Crest Hill and unincorporated Troy Township.

Sarah Wells, director of communications for the district, said the cellphone policy is outlined in the student/parent handbook.

The policy states that “cellphones are to be turned off, kept in the student’s locker and/or book bag during school hours. Cellphones are not permitted in classrooms, locker rooms or restrooms during the school day. Cellphones will be confiscated from students who do not follow this policy and kept in the office for parent retrieval.”

“This policy is not changing for the 2024-25 school year,” Wells said in an email.