Student Device Use at Amigos

Student chromebooks are connected to a filtered internet network at school, and have on-device filters to support safety outside of school.

While these systems are designed to be effective, no filtering system is perfect.  Students are expected to use devices responsibly and report anything inappropriate to a teacher.  

Inappropriate use or attempts to bypass filtering may result in consequences.

Students at Amigos use Chromebooks at least weekly as part of their learning, to support academic work and projects.

The district is conscious of the effects of screen time on developing minds, however, and asks teachers to limit usage, especially by younger children. This means that device usage varies by grade level:

• Pre-K and K: Usage is limited to 10-12 mins per use.  Chromebooks are used in small groups several times a week as part of math literacy centers.

• Grade 1:  The two classrooms share a single set of chromebooks and take turns using them, in a similar way to Pre-K and Kinder.

• Grades 2–4:  Each student has a chromebook assigned for use at school, and devices are used several times a week, be it for classwork, research, or assessment.

• Grades 5–8:  Students are responsible for managing their own device throughout the school day.  Devices are used throughout the week.

For students in grades 6–8 (and many in 5th grade):  Devices are carried between home and school daily.

Note:  Students in grades 1–4 who do not have access to a device at home that lets the student access all necessary learning platforms are eligible for a take-home Chromebook from the district. (Note that a tablet might be insufficient, as it can be challenging on many tablets to properly access and log into all the sites/platforms.) Families can contact their child’s teacher for more information.

Note:  Families without home internet access are eligible for a free mobile hotspot, for the purpose of completing school work.  More information here

Technology use at school is structured and supervised.  Devices are learning tools, not toys for entertainment or personal use.  They are used to support instruction, collaboration, and creative work as part of the curriculum.

• Teachers actively monitor student device use during class

• Teachers use tools such as GoGuardian to view and guide student activity

• Students and teachers use only school-approved or district-approved platforms (like Google Classroom, Docs, Slides, etc.)

School-issued Chromebooks are designed to work only with district-managed student accounts.  This means that:

• Students must use their CPS account to log in. Personal accounts cannot be used on school devices.

• Students generally log into other sites or platforms using the "login with Google" option, or else are logged in automatically via ClassLink.

• All student work is completed and saved within district-managed or -approved platforms. This helps ensure that student work is secure and that all tools used in school meet district safety and privacy standards.

Note that logging into another student's account is a security risk and a violation of both privacy and district policy. Students are instructed to use only their own account, and to keep their login information private.