Phone-free school resources
Written for administrators who have been handed a phone problem and a deadline. What the law asks for, how a policy gets rolled out without a fight, and how the available approaches really compare. Sourced, and honest about the trade-offs.
Start wherever your question is
Michigan phone ban compliance guide
What Public Act 2 of 2026 requires of Michigan districts, and a checklist to get a compliant policy adopted and posted by the start of the 2026-27 school year.
Phone-free policy implementation guide
How administrators roll out a policy that sticks: the sequence, the exceptions you have to write in, and what the first month actually looks like.
Yondr alternatives compared
Every approach schools actually use, from pouches and lockers to app blocking and no-hardware verification, compared honestly.
NIX vs. Yondr
Lockable pouches or no-hardware verification: what each model costs in daily friction, and what each one actually proves.
NIX vs. LockedIn
Two software approaches to the phone-free school day, and the one difference that decides which of them fits your school.
NIX vs. The Commons
Blocking distracting apps on the phone in the room, or verifying that the phone was left outside it.
Reward vs. confiscation
The case for positive reinforcement in a school phone policy, and why a reward only means something once presence is verified.
The law, and the evidence
Start with the law. Most states now require districts to adopt a written phone policy, and a growing number restrict phones for the entire school day rather than only during class. Our state-by-state guide sorts the laws into three kinds and links the primary sources, so you can see what your state actually asks for before you pick an implementation.
Then read the evidence, including the parts that cut against us. The findings on phone policy and test scores are mixed; the findings on distraction and focus are stronger. We summarize both on the research page, with citations, rather than quoting the one study that flatters us.
If you already know what you want to run: NIX Education is the verified phone-free school day, and how it works walks through the scan at the door.
One platform, two ways to go phone-free.
A verified phone-free school day, and real rewards for presence at events. No pouches, no hardware, no manual check-in.