As Phone-Free Policies Spread, Schools Use NuKase Lockable Phone Cases to Make Them Work

Massachusetts grant applications close October 21; New Jersey is also funding phone-free policies that use tools like the NuKase.

BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — As schools across the country adopt phone-free policies, NuGerm today announced that its NuKase lockable phone case, which makes those policies easier to enforce, is in use in more than 150 school districts, with over 200,000 NuKases deployed nationwide.

The hardest part of any phone-free policy is enforcing it every day without adding to teachers’ workload. With NuKase, students keep their phones with them, locked in a frosted case that obscures the screen, and unlock them at the end of the day at a nearby station, so staff don’t have to open each case.

“We chose NuKase over fabric pouches because kids figured out how to get into the pouches. NuKase also has a 3-year warranty, while pouches needed to be replaced annually,” said Dr. Wilson, a Principal in Massachusetts.

Built for the school day

Fast to unlock: Each case takes 2 to 3 seconds to unlock, without staff assistance.
Durable: The polycarbonate case is built to hold up to drops and everyday wear, and it comes with a 3-year warranty.
Fits what students carry: It fits all phone sizes and nearly any phone case, and an XL size adds room for earbuds and watches.
Predictable cost: NuKase is a one-time purchase with no subscription fees, and pricing is discounted by volume.

Momentum behind phone-free schools

As of this spring, at least 37 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ phone use, according to Associated Press reporting on a national study.

Public support is growing too. In a Pew Research Center survey of 9,750 U.S. adults conducted May 26-June 1, 2026, 48 percent said they support all-day, bell-to-bell cellphone bans for middle and high school students, up from 36 percent in 2024, versus 43 percent opposed. It is the first time more adults supported than opposed such bans. Support for in-class bans reached 77 percent.

The research on results is also encouraging. A 2026 National Bureau of Economic Research study of more than 43,000 middle and high schools found that where schools adopted lockable phone storage, phone use on campus dropped sharply and stayed down, and teachers reported fewer distractions. The study also found modest math gains in high schools, test score improvements in the second year of enforcement, and student well-being that improved the longer policies stayed in place.

State funding for phone-free schools

Massachusetts: $1 million in new Cell Phone-Free Schools grants for policy development, staff training, and equipment. Applications are due October 21.
New Jersey: 86 districts received first-round Phone-Free Schools grants from a $3 million appropriation, and the state plans another round.

Districts can include NuKase in their grant applications, and NuGerm will help with application materials. NuGerm is a member of the PEPPM and TIPS cooperative purchasing programs.

Schools can request a sample here or learn more at nugerm.com.

About NuGerm
NuGerm, based in South Florida, is the company behind NuKase, a phone-control solution built for K-12 schools and used in courthouses and other settings where phones need to stay put.

James Koch
NuKase by NuGerm
+1 561-462-2041

NuKase: How it works