Gov. JB Pritzker is renewing his push to ban students from using cell phones in Illinois schools, aiming to improve student performance and protect children’s mental health.

The governor is backing proposed legislation to require all public school districts and charter schools in Illinois to develop policies limiting the use of cell phones and other wireless devices – such as tablets, smartwatches, laptops, and gaming devices – on school grounds throughout the entire school day.

Pritzker backed a similar ban last year that would have only banned the use of wireless devices during classroom instruction. That measure was unanimously approved by the Illinois Senate, but stalled in the Illinois House.

According to the governor’s office, a recent study by Pew Research found that 72% of high school teachers identified cell phone distraction as a major problem in classrooms.

“There’s real harm being done, and it’s interfering with our ability to give children the most productive educational environment possible. It’s time to get cell phones out of the classroom,” Pritzker said in prepared remarks for his annual State of the State address.

The proposed ban would provide exceptions for emergencies or response to an imminent threat, for cases when a medical professional deems a wireless device is necessary to manage a student’s health, if devices are needed as part of a student’s individualized education program, to help students for whom English is a second language, or when a student Is a caregiver responsible for the wellbeing of a family member.

Schools would be allowed to provide high school students access to their phones during their lunch period, or when a teacher has authorized students to use a phone or tablet for educational purposes.

The legislation would prohibit schools from enforcing their cell phone bans through fines, fees, suspensions, expulsions, ticketing, or deployment of police officers or school resource officers.

Schools would be required to set up guidelines for storing students’ cell phones during the school day to prevent use, loss, or theft.

Districts also would be required to get input from teachers, administrators, and parents before setting policies, and would be encouraged to seek student input as well.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Berry Wallace scored 21 points and Cearah Parchment added 20 and the Illinois women’s basketball team knocked off the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 76-56 at home Tuesday.

The Fighting Illini (18-8, 8-7) had two players score in double figures, led by Wallace, who had 21 points and nine rebounds. Parchment added a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Destiny Jackson added four points, eight assists and two steals. Lety Vasconcelos turned in a career-high nine points with four boards.

Illinois did a stellar job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 24 assists while turning the ball over just 12 times. Jackson’s eight assists were the most for the Illini. Jasmine Brown-Hagger also added with five assists of her own.

Illinois’ defense held Rutgers to only 38.9 percent shooting from the field, including 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Scarlet Knights did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with six offensive rebounds and managed three second chance points while Illinois cleared 29 defensive rebounds.

How It Happened

After falling behind 8-6, Illinois went on a 5-0 run with 3:47 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Wallace, to take an 11-8 lead. The Orange and Blue then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 14-12 advantage. Illinois relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 14 points.

Illinois kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 12-0 run starting at the 9:22 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Lety Vasconcelos, to increase its lead to 26-12. The Illini kept that lead for the remainder of the period and enjoyed a 35-21 advantage heading into halftime. Illinois dominated in the paint, scoring 16 of its 21 points close to the basket.

Illinois continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 10-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Wallace, to expand its lead further to 45-23 with 6:02 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Fighting Illini added five points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 60-33 edge. Illinois played well near the basket, scoring 14 of its 25 points in the paint.

Illinois kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Wallace’s jumper, to grow the lead to 69-39 with 5:49 to go in the contest. The Scarlet Knights narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Fighting Illinistill cruised the rest of the way for the 76-56 win. Illinois took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring eight of its 16 points in the paint.

Amazon laid off 1,545 Illinois employees. That was most of 2,000 total layoffs across the state in January.

Illinois started 2026 with over 2,000 mass layoffs in January, driven by Amazon closing over a dozen Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores across Illinois.

The firm laid off 1,545 employees in January.

Iron and steel manufacturing accounted for 253 layoffs. Wireless Carrier T-Mobile also announced 109 layoffs in Schaumburg.

These numbers come from the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires employers to notify the state about major layoffs. While the reports don’t capture every detail about Illinois’ job market, they offer a useful look at recent trends affecting workers in large companies.

January layoffs were concentrated in Chicago’s suburbs, in Cook, DuPage and Will counties.

Breaking down January’s big layoffs, it wasn’t just a wave of pink slips, most of these were outright closings, accounting for 1,902 job losses. Only 152 layoffs were not part of a full closure.

The bigger picture comes with a warning: Illinois’ business climate is seen as less friendly than it used to be. The state dropped to 38th in a nationwide business tax climate ranking.

Illinois needs comprehensive reforms to improve its economic situation and reduce future layoffs, including ending excessive occupational licensing, expanding school choice, reducing the nation’s No. 1 property tax rate, lowering its third-highest corporate income taxes, and investing more in apprenticeship programs to help keep companies and jobs in Illinois.