Starting this fall, parents in the Shoreline School District can opt that their middle and high school children leave laptops at school rather than taking them home.
In recent years, officials have given a laptop to every middle and high school student in the district for use during the school year. Unless families opted out completely, the child had to take the laptop with them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
That raised parent concerns about the amount of time some students spent on their laptops doing non-academic activities like chatting, social networking, games and surfing the Web. Some parents also were worried about their students being targets for theft and carrying heavy backpacks.
In a laptop survey given to parents, teachers and students this year, 34 percent of middle school parents and 31 percent of high school parents said that the 24/7 laptop model was the “least desirable” one.
A slightly higher 37 percent of middle school parents and 42 percent of high school parents rated it the “most desirable.” Others fell in between.
Next year, students who opt to not take laptops home are expected to have computers at home where they can do school work.
“We’re not expecting teachers to modify lessons,” said Jim Golubich, director of instructional technology for the district.
Teachers will give laptops to students when there is a classroom activity that calls for them.
Students won’t be able to check laptops out after school. The laptop probably won’t be available to students if they aren’t part of that day’s class work, officials said.
A check-out system would be extremely complicated for schools, said Sue Walker, superintendent. Each school will work out the details of how it wants to manage the system.
Students who opt for the school-only option won’t be able to save work to laptops but will have to transport work using USB drives, student servers, e-mail or other means.
Those students also don’t have to pay insurance fees, but will be responsible for damages from intentional abuse or neglect.
As for students who opt for the 24/7 model, they have to pay for insurance.
Officials are looking at additional parental control programs for students who have the 24/7 laptops. The computers currently have parental controls, but many students have found ways to get around them.
If parents want additional controls, they can work with district technology staff. There are some approved products already, but additional ones could be looked at, Golubich said.
As for next year’s changes, he said the district is not retreating backwards from the laptop program.
“We’re trying to keep the integrity of the progress that has been maintained,” he said.
Walker said there is a growing number of parents whose support for the laptop program has been diminishing. The district has to think about the renewal of support in future technology bonds, she said.
A 2006 bond funded the current laptops. Officials have expressed interest in running a 2010 levy to replace them.
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