Preston School District #201 Student Device Policy
Summary:
The policies, procedures, and information within this document apply to all school devices issued by Preston Public School District to students, staff, or guests including any other device considered by the Administration to fall under this policy. Teachers may set additional requirements for device use in their classroom.
Receiving Your Laptop or Other Device:
Deployment: Laptops will be distributed at the start of each school year. An Acceptable Use and Liability Agreement will need to be signed before a student will receive a device. Students will retain their original laptop or other device each year while enrolled at a Preston School District. Students and other users are expected to keep their devices in good, working order.
Return: Each year, student devices will be collected as part of the student checkout process. The same device will be reissued to each student at the beginning of the next school year. Any student who no longer attends Preston School District will be required to return their laptop or device. If a device is not returned, the parent/guardian will be held responsible for all replacement costs.
Taking Care of Your Laptop or Other Device:
Students are responsible for the general care of the device issued by the school. Laptops or devices that are broken or fail to work properly must be taken to an administrator or technology coordinator. If a loaner laptop is needed and available, one may be issued to the student until their device is repaired or replaced. General
Precautions:
● Food or drink is not recommended near your laptops.
● Cords and other items must be inserted carefully into the devices.
● Students should never carry their laptops while the screen is open.
● Laptops should be shut down when not in use for any extended period to conserve battery life and reduce charge time.
● Laptops should NOT be shoved into a locker or wedged into a book bag as this may break the screen.
● Extreme heat or cold may cause damage to the device. So please do not leave it out in the sun or inside vehicles.
Using Your Laptop or Other Device:
At School: The laptop is intended for use at school every school day. Students are responsible for bringing their adequately charged device to all classes, unless specifically advised not to do so by their teacher.
At Home: Laptops must be in a fully charged condition at the start of each school day. Repeated failure to charge your laptop may result in referral to administration and possible disciplinary action. Additional chargers for home use may be purchased from the school.
Carrying the laptop: The laptop is not designed to prevent damage from drops or abusive handling. Students should carry their laptop like a cafeteria tray. Under no circumstance should the laptop be carried while open.
Screen Care: The laptop screen can be damaged if subjected to rough treatment. The screens are particularly sensitive to damage from excessive pressure on the screen.
● Do not lean on top of the laptop.
● Do not place anything near the laptop that could put pressure on the screen.
● Do not poke the screen.
● Do not place anything on the keyboard before closing the lid (e.g. hands, pens, pencils, notebooks).
● Do not place the laptop on the floor where it could get kicked or stepped on.
● Clean the screen with a soft, dry anti-static, or micro-fiber cloth. Do not use window cleaner or any type of liquid or water on the laptop. Packaged pre-moistened eyeglass lens cleaning tissues may be used to clean the screen.
Sound: Students are required to use headphones for sound at a reasonable volume. Headphones will not be provided by the school. If a student does not have headphones that they can use, they are expected to keep their devices muted at all times.
Printing: Students will not be allowed to connect a school printer to any personal device including school issued laptops. Printing must be done at home or at designated school printing stations.
Software on Laptops or Other Devices: Students are not allowed to install ANY software on their laptops other than what has been approved by technology director or school administrator. Students who violate this will lose laptop privileges.
Inspection: At the end of the year, students will provide their laptop or other devices for inspection. Students may also be required to provide their laptop for inspection at any time at the request of teachers or administration. The purpose for inspection will be to check for proper care and maintenance as well as inappropriate materials. Inappropriate use or content will be subject to disciplinary action.
Personalizing the Laptop or Other Devices: Laptops must remain free of any decorative writing, drawing, stickers, paint, tape, labels, gum wrappers, or anything that defaces the machine and disallows it to be redeployed. Spot checks for compliance may be done by Preston School District Personnel at any time.
Device Identification: Laptops or other devices will be labeled in the manner specified by each school. Under no circumstances are students to modify, remove, or destroy identification labels.
Storing Your Laptop: It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that laptops and other devices are stored in a safe and secure location. Laptops should not be left in cars or outdoors for any extended period of time and never when weather conditions are cold or wet.
Student Devices Left in Unauthorized Areas: Under no circumstance should a laptop or other device be stored in unauthorized areas. Unauthorized areas include: the school grounds and campus, the cafeteria, on or under a desk, the library, lockers, locker rooms, dressing rooms, hallways, bathrooms, in a car, or any other insecure area. Unsupervised devices will be confiscated by staff. Disciplinary action may be taken for leaving a device in an unauthorized location.
Settings: Devices settings are not to be tampered with or altered in any shape or form to inhibit the following.
● Causing a distraction to you and other students learning experience.
● To circumvent or stop Preston School District from accessing its contents.
● Changing the background to inappropriate content or offensive pictures that go against the Preston School Districts ( ) Policy
● Conducting behavior or making threats utilize the device to harm the Preston School District’s infrastructure, personnel, and students learning experience.
If these have been found occurring and the device is being used in such a manner. Restrictions may be applied to the machine.
Restrictions to Machine functionality based on the severity:
First Offense: Settings and various Applications will be restricted if found misused. That could potentially restrict the students use when logging into shared devices i.e. Library, Lab, and others from being able to Print.
Second Offense: Further restrictions will be applied that may restrict the use of the machine to the bare minimum to conduct day to day school work.
Third Offense: Could lead to depending on the severity of the misuse up to now or in the first action taken. Taking the device entirely away based on Administrator guidelines from Preston School District ( ) Policy.
Repairing or Replacing Your Laptop or Other Device:
Devices Undergoing Repair for Damage:
● Preston School District will assess the device damage and repair or replace the device.
● Preston School District will endeavor to repair or replace devices in a timely manner.
● Loaner devices may be available for students until repair or replacement is complete. (Said device will not be a brand new device as those are reserved for new students and repair by replacement from a faulty component)
● If repair is needed due to malicious damage, the school will refuse to provide a loaner device. (Either by repair or if full replacement is necessary. The option will come after payment for replacement to continue use but with a perused machine.)
● Repaired laptops will potentially end up with the original image as first received. It is important that students keep their school data synced to their OneDrive so documents and class projects will not be lost. Personal information should not be stored on a device hard drive.
● Students and parents will be charged for laptop damage that is a result of misuse or abusive handling. Laptops
Undergoing Repair for Technical Issues:
● Loaner Laptops will be issued to students who bring their Laptops with technical issues that would be considered normal wear and tear or factory defects and not damage caused by student misuse. If defect is found from non-misuse the School District will attempt a replacement by warranty. If not available another machine will be prepped. This device possibly could be preused but will have gone through three checks.
1. Devices functionality – Meets same standards or better than the device previously used age.
2. Components – Testing from manufacturer self-testing passes all components in good working order.
3. Condition – The device will be free of major blemishes and missing parts. But could have natural discoloration from age.