Chromebook Guidelines

Student Responsibilities

• Follow guidelines set by the teacher and school for appropriate use. Use this Chromebook for academic purposes only. This Chromebook is assigned to students for school use throughout the school day and at home for classwork as appropriate. 

• Respect teachers’ instructions regarding the use of your Chromebook.

• Follow and agree to Colonial School District’s Acceptable Use Policy, your school Family Handbook, and all local, state, and federal laws.

  • Click here for the Colonial School District’s Acceptable Use Policy. 

  • Click here for the school Family Handbooks.

• Make sure your Chromebook is charged and ready for use at the beginning of each school day. You may not have the opportunity to charge your new device at school. You are expected to bring your Chromebook to school each day and to all classes. The battery life of this Chromebook is expected to be 7 hours.

• Protect your Chromebook. Do not leave your Chromebook in places where it may be damaged, stepped on, sat on, or stolen. You may want to invest in a protective cover.

• No personalization will be allowed: no stickers, markers, or writing of any kind on the bag or the Chromebook protective case. Backgrounds, themes, and inappropriate media may not be used as Chromebook backgrounds or themes. 

• Students will never share their Chromebook or Chromebook charger with another student.

• When using your Chromebook outside of school, the Chromebook will still be filtered as it is inside of school. A wifi connection is needed for most work. However, there is a way to use Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides in an offline mode if needed. Students are bound by Colonial School District’s Acceptable Use Policy and 1:1 policy and regulations wherever they use their Chromebooks.

• Students may not install any other operating system on their Chromebook. The Chromebook operating system, Chrome OS, updates itself automatically. There is no need for additional virus protection.

• Chromebooks are not to be used to take pictures or videos without the consent of all persons being photographed. Taking photos or videos at school should only be done for instructional purposes as directed by the teacher. No pictures of students are to be posted on any social media platforms.

• Students should have their own personal set of headphones/earbuds for sanitary purposes and sound issues related to peer collaboration and noise interference in the classroom.

Repairs

• Students must not attempt to repair their own Chromebook.

• Students are also not to take their Chromebook to an outside source to be fixed.

• If your Chromebook needs to be repaired:

  • A loaner Chromebook may be issued to you while you leave yours for repair with the Technology Department.

  • In order to obtain a loaner Chromebook, you must sign a loaner agreement, and you will be responsible for any damages to or loss of the loaner.

  • Chromebooks on loan to students having their devices repaired may be taken home if the Chromebook being repaired was allowed to be taken home.

  • A member of the Technology Department will notify you when your Chromebook is repaired and ready to be picked up.

Parent/Guardian Responsibilities

Sign the Student/Parent 1:1 Agreement

In order for a student to be issued a device, the student and a parent/guardian must agree to pay the assigned technology fee and sign the Student/Parent 1:1 Agreement available through PowerSchool.

Supervise student participation.

The parent/guardian is responsible for ensuring that:

• Students bring their device to school every day.
• Students notify the school of loss or damage following the appropriate procedures.

It is highly recommended that you join your child's Canvas or Google Classroom page as an Observer.

Monitor student use outside of school.

The parent/guardian must agree to monitor student use of the device at home and away from school. The best way to keep students safe and on-task is for parents/guardians to be present and involved when devices are used outside of school.

Monitoring responsibilities include:

• Be aware that Internet content will continue to be filtered by Colonial School District filtering and policies while devices are attached to networks outside the school.
• Develop a set of rules/expectations for use at home.
• Only allow device use in common rooms of the home (e.g. living room or kitchen), not in bedrooms.
• Demonstrate a genuine interest in what your student is doing on the device. Ask questions and request that your student show you their work often.

Incident Reporting Procedures

In School Damage

• Student reports problem immediately to classroom teacher or principal's office.
• In-house technician evaluates the damage.
• If it's the first incident, it is recorded, and the repair or replacement issued. 
• Parent/guardian notification made with an alert to potential future charges. 
• Incidents beyond the first will result in assessment of charges as indicated.

At Home Damage

• Student and parent/guardian should report the problem immediately to the principal's office. 
• In-house technician evaluates the damage.
• If it's the first incident, it is recorded, and the repair or replacement issued. 
• Parent/guardian notification made with an alert to potential future charges. 
• Incidents beyond the first will result in assessment of charges as indicated.

Misuse/Neglect

• The assigned student, parent/guardian, or a district employee will report damage resulting from negligence or intentional misuse to the principal's office — whether the damage was during or outside of the school day. 
• A parent/guardian conference will be held to review the incident, and resulting discipline and changes will be assessed. 
• Please keep in mind that the technology fee specifically states that it does not cover intention misuse or negligence. 
• Negligent damage is not limited to the screen but impacts multiple internal and external areas of the device. 
• Examples of negligent damage may include but are not limited to writing on the screen, scratches/etching on the screen or casing, and obvious signs of heavy impact from throwing the device.
• The disciplinary action includes the repair or replacement cost of the device. 

Technology User Fee & Repairs

The Colonial School District requires a $30 Technology User Fee when students receive their new Chromebook as part of their class. Fees will be invoiced to families via the Colonial School District Business Office. This fee is a one-time cost for the four years your child will have the Chromebook. Cash, check, or MySchoolBucks can be used to pay the $30 fee. (Note that MySchoolBucks applies an additional service fee.)

The Technology User Fee has been implemented to support the District’s 1:1 initiative. This includes the insurance and maintenance of the Chromebook devices.

• All students will be responsible for any intentional damage or if the laptop is lost. 

• All students will not be responsible for any repair that is related to a manufacturer defect.

• Insurance paid by the Technology User Fee will cover up to three repairs.

• Declining or opting out of paying the Technology User Fee means that you agree to pay the repair or retail replacement charges for any damage caused by your child whenever using the device, which is the same requirement for any other school-issued material. 

Repair charges will be based on the year of the device. For the first year, students will be invoiced 95% of the actual cost, second year 75% of the cost, third year 55% of the cost, and fourth year 25% of the cost.

The following price list outlines the approximate costs of the most common repairs, so that both the student and parent/guardian understand the approximate cost associated with those repairs. Actual repair cost may vary.

	Touchpad	Keyboard	Screen	Full Unit
Full Price	$89.00	$247.50	$291.50	$601.00
Year 1 (95%)	$84.55	$235.13	$276.93	$570.95
Year 2 (75%)	$66.75	$185.63	$218.63	$450.75
Year 3 (55%)	$48.95	$136.13	$160.33	$330.55
Year 4 (25%)	$22.25	$61.88	$72.88	$150.25

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Do not take District-owned Chromebooks to an outside computer service for any type of repair or maintenance. All repairs must be handled by the Colonial School District Technology Department.

Return of Device

Students who withdraw from the Colonial School District must return their Chromebook and power supply to administrative offices. A receipt will be issued confirming that the device was returned. Failure to return the device will result in a replacement charge and holding of the release of transcripts.

Devices are returned each year prior to the summer break. This allows technology services to inventory all devices, repair known problems, and ensure devices are ready for the start of the school year. The following school year, students will receive the same device.

 

Chromebook Q & A

Q. Will there be a device fee applied to families?
A. The District will provide Chromebooks as a learning tool with an insurance fee of $30 per device. This fee includes coverage for up to three damages, such as a broken screen. This fee is a onetime cost for the four years your child will have the Chromebook.

Q. What if a student’s Chromebook is lost?
A. If the Chromebook is lost, families will be responsible for the cost of a replacement Chromebook, just as they are responsible for lost textbooks. 

Q. What if a student’s Chromebook charger is lost?
A. If the Chromebook charger is lost, families may purchase a new charger on their own. There are various online sites that carry chargers including Amazon, WalMart, Staples, and Best Buy.

Q. What if a student’s Chromebook is stolen?
A. If the Chromebook is stolen, families should report the theft to their building administration and file a report with local law enforcement.

Q. What if a student's Chromebook is damaged?
A. If the Chromebook is damaged, contact the Colonial School District Tech Department. The District will follow the procedures to repair it. If the Chromebook is beyond repair, or the repair cost is excessive, families may be expected to pay the repair cost. There may be disciplinary consequences if the damage is deemed intentional. A loaner device will be issued to the student while their Chromebook is being repaired.

Q. Who owns the Chromebook?
A. All District-provided Chromebooks are property of the Colonial School District, and the District retains all legal rights, similar to other resources provided by the District (such as lockers, textbooks, etc.). Students’ right of possession and use is conditional upon full and complete acceptance of the Acceptable Use Policy.

Q. What kinds of internet safety protocols/restrictions will be in place?
A. Currently, the District utilizes tools to ensure the safety of our staff and students, such as content filtering, firewall, etc. These same protocols and restrictions will apply to the Chromebooks when in the District.