Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Cell Phone Policy for 2026–27

CPS phone policy at a glance

Policy

CPS Student Code of Conduct, “Cellular Phones and Other Information Technology Devices,” printed in the 2026–27 Student Rights & Responsibilities handbook

Who sets the rule

Each school’s principal, through a written school policy

Default

Phones are not allowed at school unless the principal approves them

Parent requests

Where a school prohibits phones, a parent can ask in writing for their child to carry one for good cause; a denial can be appealed to the Network Chief

Violations

Unauthorized use or possession is Group 1 behavior 1-8: a documented conference, a restorative response or detention

Misuse

Using a phone to harass, incite violence, disrupt others or record them without permission is Group 3 behavior 3-11

State law

Illinois SB 2427 (Public Act 104-0657): district bell-to-bell policies due by the start of 2027–28

Last verified Oct. 12, 2026 against the district’s published policy and the state law it cites. Sources are listed at the end of this page.

What the CPS rule says

The CPS Student Code of Conduct gives the decision to principals. A principal may allow students to have phones by writing a school policy that says when phones may be used and how they must be kept. A principal may instead prohibit phones and still let individual students carry one “for any good cause” after a written request from a parent or guardian; a parent whose request is denied can appeal to the Network Chief. Unless the principal approves them, phones and other information technology devices are not allowed at school.

That makes the answer to “what is the CPS phone policy” school-specific: two CPS schools can have different rules on storage, lunch and passing periods. Check your school’s own policy, usually in its handbook or on its website.

What happens when a student breaks the rule

The Code lists “unauthorized use or possession of cellular telephones or other information technology devices” as behavior 1-8 in Group 1, its lowest-level group. The responses available are a documented conference with the student, parent and staff, a recommended instructive, corrective or restorative response, or detention. Using a phone to harass someone, incite violence, interrupt other students’ participation, or record others without permission is a separate Group 3 behavior (3-11) with stronger consequences.

How it fits Illinois law

Gov. JB Pritzker signed SB 2427 on July 28, 2026 (Public Act 104-0657). It requires every Illinois school board and charter school to adopt a policy barring student use of wireless devices from arrival to dismissal, including lunch, recess and passing periods, by the start of the 2027–28 school year; high schools may allow phones at lunch and passing periods. Policies must include exceptions for a student’s health care, an IEP, a Section 504 plan or medical orders, English learners and student caregivers, and districts may not enforce them through fees, fines, suspension, expulsion or school resource officers. The Illinois State Board of Education was required to publish a model policy by Sept. 1, 2026, and districts whose existing policy already covers most or all of the school day may keep it through 2030–31.

The Chicago Board of Education, like every Illinois board, needs a policy that meets SB 2427 before the 2027–28 school year starts. As of Oct. 12, 2026, we found no CPS board action on one.

More detail is in our guide to Illinois’s school phone law and the phone-free school laws by state directory.