Technology

The Methacton School District issues one device to every student in the district. Devices remain the property of the school district for the duration that it is assigned to the student. It is the responsibility of the student/family to maintain the device in good working order during the time the device is assigned to the student.

District issued devices are provided to the student in order to: increase classroom engagement and meet individual learning needs, as well as, to improve communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking skills. In accepting a district issued device each Parent/Guardian and student is responsible to review and sign-off on the school district’s Acceptable Use Policy, School Board Policy 815. 

Students have their devices refreshed every four years. Graduating seniors must return their device and charger in good working order to receive their graduation materials. If a student does not have either the device or charger, they will have a financial obligation applied to their record.

Consequences for any student that has a financial obligation against their account may include, but are not limited to: not permitting the student to attend class trips, school dances, school events or other similar extracurricular activities, withholding a student’s report card and/or transcripts, and not permitting the student to participate in graduation ceremonies.

Assigned student devices remain property of the school district. All new student devices are issued with a case. It is the expectation that students keep the case on the device for the entirety of the four years in which they are assigned the device

Stickers or labels may be applied only to the front of the protective case/lid of the device. No stickers and/or labels are to be applied to the back of the protective case lid for any reason. Any stickers and/or labels affixed to the protective case are to be appropriate for the school environment. The Chromebook itself is to remain free from any stickers or other items added to the exterior of the device. At no time is it permitted for a sticker or label to be applied to a loaner device.

Devices that are broken or fail to work properly must be reported to the Chromebook Service Station as soon as possible. Students will receive a loaner device while their primary device is being repaired.

General precautions to keep the device in good working order are listed below:

• No food or drink is permitted near the device.
• Pens/Pencils should be removed from inside of the device prior to closing the lid.
• The device should be checked for any objects prior to closing.
• Cases are required to cover the devices at all times. Devices are to remain free from drawings, writing, stickers, or any type of label.
• Students are not to share devices with other students, including siblings.
• Each device has an asset tag affixed to the back. Methacton asset tags are to remain on the device at all times. Students are not to alter or attempt to remove the asset tag.
• Devices are recommended to be carried in the student’s backpack both to-and-from school and when traveling between classes and/or lunch.
• Devices should always have the lid closed during transportation; screen on the inside.
• The use of a backpack manufactured with a protective laptop sleeve inside the bag may increase the protection of the device during transportation.
• Never move a Chromebook by lifting from the screen. Always support a Chromebook from its bottom with the lid closed.
• Devices should not be kept in cars and exposed to extreme temperatures.
• Devices are not to be exposed to extreme moisture or humidity. Devices, whether in backpacks or openly exposed, should not be in saunas, steam rooms, indoor pool areas, or be left outside due to the potential exposure to rain or other moisture.  
• Students are not to take their device to an outside/third-party source to be repaired. All devices are to be submitted for repair to the school district via the Chromebook Service Station (CSS) in the respective school.

Students are to take the utmost care with their district-issued device. Occasionally, manufacturer issues, that are not the fault of the student, may arise. In these cases, students are to report to their building’s Chromebook Service Station, within three school days, to report and remedy the issue.  

• Non-working devices or Damaged devices
• Non-working, defective or damaged equipment is expected to be reported immediately to the Chromebook Service Station (CSS) in the student’s building:
  • Elementary Schools - CSS is located in the main office
  • Skyview/Arcola/HS - CSS is located in the building’s library
    • Loaner Devices
• Students will be assigned a loaner device while their primary device is out for service or repair. The loaner device will typically be an older device and will likely not be the model that the student uses as their primary assignment.
• Expectations of care for loaner devices are the same as for the primary device assigned. If a loaner device is damaged while assigned to a student, that student may be responsible for any financial charges associated with the repair.
• Accidental Damage vs. Neglect/Intentional Damage
• Accidents happen. There is a difference between an accident and neglect. If a device is deemed to have damage due to neglect or intent, the student may be subject to disciplinary action and also responsible for the full repair or replacement cost.
• Neglect happens when a student has not taken all of the proper care of the issued device as outlined in the General Care and Device Cases section above.
• Unless there are extenuating circumstances, the following list is to provide examples of neglect/intentional damage and is not to be viewed as exhaustive:
  • Water damage
  • A cracked screen
  • A device being dropped when transitioning between classes and/or to-and-   from school
  • Stickers or other labels being affixed directly to a device
  • Removing a case from a district issued device
• Damage not being reported within a 3-day window from it happening when school is in session. Damage over the summer is expected to be reported by contacting the Technology Department directly.
• A device falling off or from a vehicle
• Debris clogging input areas, such as, but not limited to: HDMI ports, the headphone jack and power jack
• Taking the device to a third-party for repair
• Removing keys from the device
  • Lost/Stolen Equipment
• Lost or stolen equipment must be reported immediately. A form is set-up in PowerSchool to report a lost or stolen device by either the student or a parent/guardian. When completed, the student is to report to the respective CSS location in their school building. A replacement device cannot be issued unless this form is completed.
• If the device is believed to be stolen, a police report is expected to be completed within three days of the loss of the device. The police report is the responsibility of the student or parent/guardian. Devices may be tracked with the cooperation of local law enforcement. A copy of the police report is to be submitted to the respective Chromebook Service Station.
• The device will be identified as lost or stolen and will have a school district message placed on the screen of the device. If anyone attempts to turn it on the device will be rendered inoperable until it is returned to the school district.
• If a device is lost or stolen the student will still be responsible for the cost of the device. If a device is recovered in good working order after the obligation has been satisfied, the student/parent/guardian will be reimbursed for the fee.
  • Associated Fees
• As stated in School Board Policy 627, damaged, lost or stolen devices may incur a fee to the student assigned to the district device. Students' repair information will be tracked during the time they are issued a device. The first accidental damage of a device is free. However, subsequent occurrences may require a fee obligation being applied to the student’s account up-to the full replacement cost of the device. If the device is deemed to be beyond repair, the full cost of the device may be assessed regardless of the incident number associated.

Each student is issued a power cord and plug (herein; charger) with their district device. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain the charger and keep it in a safe place. If a charger is defective, it will be replaced. However, if it is determined that the charger is damaged or lost a replacement charger must be purchased.

• A student will put in a request for a new charger with their building's Chromebook Service Station. A ticket will be created and an obligation will be assessed to the student’s account. The student will receive a replacement charger from the technology office once available.

• Power cords and plugs are to be returned to the district when a district-issued device is collected. This includes chargers that were individually purchased as lost or stolen replacements.

Students are responsible to have their device with them on a daily basis similar to other educational materials. It is the responsibility of the student to charge their device on a nightly basis. Each device, when fully charged, will last between 8-10 hours based on normal usage.

If a student:

• forgets to bring their device to school, they may contact a parent/guardian to bring their device to the main office.
• forgets to bring their device to school and a parent/guardian is unavailable, the student may be granted access to a loaner device. If a device is not available, it will be the responsibility of the student to work with their teacher(s) on tasks/assignments completed throughout the day.
• brings their device to school without a full charge, the student may be granted access to a loaner device.  If a device is not available, it will be the responsibility of the student to work with their teacher(s) on tasks/assignments completed throughout the day.

Devices are collected on a four-year cycle. Each student will have their device collected at the conclusion of 4th, 8th and 12th grades. Students are responsible to turn in a working, well-maintained device and charger. If a device is collected that is defaced, damaged and/or not working properly a financial obligation will be assessed to the student. Kindergarten devices will be collected by the technology department in June and refreshed during the summer. Teachers will provide information of students who may not have a power cord and plug with their device during the last week of school to the Technology Department.

Students who withdraw from Methacton School District must return their device and charger to their school’s administrative office or directly to the Technology Department located in the Farina Education Center. A receipt will be issued confirming that the Chromebook was returned. Failure to return the device may result in a collection of fees and a hold on the release of student records and the device being rendered inactive.

Students and Parents/Guardian’s are responsible to complete the 1:1 Chromebook Acknowledgement Form. This form is located in the PowerSchool portal, listed under Forms.

The acknowledgement form is an acknowledgement of:

• Methacton School Board of Directors’ Policy 815: Acceptable Use of Communications and Information Systems
• Methacton School Board of Directors’ Policy 627: Student Financial Obligations
• 1:1 Student Device Program - Guidelines for Students & Parents/Guardians

Failure to complete the acknowledgement form may result in a loss of privileges of the district issued device.

The purpose of Classlink is to allow staff and students the ability to sign in only once to their personal launchpad and gain access to applications and files without needing to sign in multiple times.