Hinsdale families heading back to school Aug. 19 won't face any new cellphone surprises. Both Hinsdale Central High School and Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 already comply with Illinois' new bell-to-bell phone ban, signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker on July 28, more than a year before the state's mandatory 2027-28 deadline.

Hinsdale Central Principal Bill Walsh said the school's "bell to bell, no cell" policy, launched at the start of the 2025-26 school year, has exceeded expectations.

"I think it went better than I thought it would have gone. I think it went extraordinarily well," Walsh told The Hinsdalean.

Walsh said he received zero parent complaints. The emails that did come in were from parents offering thanks and saying the policy was changing the dynamics at school. He appeared on ABC7's "Our Chicago" on April 28 to discuss the real-world impact, telling the station the policy "creates a standard of care" so expectations are the same in every classroom regardless of the teacher.

Senate Bill 2427 requires all K-8 public schools to prohibit cellphone use from the first arrival bell to the final dismissal bell, including during lunch and passing periods. High schools must also implement a bell-to-bell ban but may allow exceptions during breaks at the district's discretion. The law bars enforcement through fines, suspensions, expulsions or involvement of school resource officers.

District 181 already collects phones from elementary students and requires middle schoolers at Hinsdale Middle School and Clarendon Hills Middle School to keep devices in lockers during the school day. Violations trigger a first warning with the phone held in the office until dismissal; a second offense requires a parent to pick it up.

Communications director Karen O'Connor said District 181 will review the new law, the forthcoming Illinois State Board of Education guidance and current policies to determine whether changes are necessary. ISBE is expected to release a model policy template by Sept. 1. Any policy development will include input from teachers, administrators and parents, as required by the law.

Hinsdale Middle School Principal Cory Burke told the Chicago Tribune on July 31 that the school's approach is about "creating the cognitive space" for students to focus rather than simple restriction.

State Rep. Marti Deuter, a Westmont Democrat whose 45th District covers much of Hinsdale, backed SB 2427. In a press release, Deuter said cellphones divide students' attention and cause unnecessary classroom distractions.

Districts with existing policies that differ from the statewide ban may keep them until the 2030-31 school year before being required to align. Walsh said the early adoption reinforces that Hinsdale Central was "on the front end of the issue and making good choices for our students without being told to do it."

For context on costs elsewhere: Elgin's School District U-46 spent more than $170,000 last year on 6,625 locking Yondr pouches for phone storage, according to the Chicago Tribune. Hinsdale schools have not announced similar purchases.