McKeesport Area School District BYOD

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Information Sheet

Students may opt to bring their own devices to school rather than utilize a school owned device. To do so parents must fill out an electronic BYOD agreement/permission slip. This agreement acknowledges that the parent is aware that the student will be using a home device and it’s the student’s responsibility for care of the device while on school grounds. Similar to other personal items students may bring to school like books for reading, bicycles, even paper and pencils, there is a risk that the item could be stolen, lost, or damaged. The school will not be responsible for theft, loss, or damage to devices. There will be advantages to your student having their own device like increased familiarity with the device, customization of the device to their preferences, ability to start and finish an activity on the same device at and away from school, but please consider the potential costs. You know your student better than anyone, and are the best judge as to whether they are mature enough to follow classroom rules regarding devices, treat the device with the required respect, and handle the responsibility.

The BYOD agreement/permission slip can be opened by clicking below:

Open Form

Tips for sending a home device with a student (BYOD)

Write down the serial number of the device
- Serial numbers can usually be found on the back, or bottom of a device.
Consider insurance
- Certain home insurance policies, or companies offer device insurance against damage, theft, and loss.
Security/Tracking programs
- Programs or apps like "iCloud Find My", or "Android Device Manager" make finding, or disabling a lost or stolen device much easier than it used to be.
- External devices like Apple "AirTags", or "Tile" Bluetooth trackers can be attached to the device or placed under the case to allow tracking of a device that normally doesn’t have this capability.
Device recommendations
- Almost any device that can connect to the Internet will be useful although some programs may require a laptop or added tablet keyboard to be fully functional.
- Laptops or tablets more than 5 years old offer limited usefulness.
- No mobile phones or gaming devices. For instance: Nintendo, or PlayStation brand devices will be permitted as a BYOD device.
- Laptops, Chromebooks, and Tablets with a screen size of 10.5 inches or larger are recommended.