VUSD Technology

Keep and Maintain Spare Laptops

💻 Ensuring staff always have a working device when they need one

At many school sites, teachers rely entirely on their laptops for instruction, grading, communication, testing, and daily classroom operations. When a laptop fails unexpectedly, it can leave a teacher without a device — sometimes for days, depending on the type of repair needed.

Having reliable spare laptops available on campus ensures that instruction can continue with minimal disruption.

🗂️ Why Spare Laptops Matter

A backup laptop allows staff to:

Continue teaching without waiting for repairs
Access email, Google Classroom, and lesson materials
Avoid losing valuable class time or productivity
Stay connected during high-stakes moments like testing, IEPs, or parent communication

When a primary laptop fails, having a working spare on hand is the difference between a minor inconvenience and a major disruption.

Most of these issues happen because the devices were stored in a cabinet or closet for long periods of time without being powered on.

Laptops that sit unused for months can fall behind on:

Windows updates
Driver updates
Security patches
Firmware updates

When these pile up, the laptop may fail to boot, perform poorly, or become completely unusable.

⚠️ What You Should Know ⚠️

We’ve had several instances where a spare laptop was handed to a teacher during an emergency — only to discover:

It doesn’t power on
It’s missing months (or years) of updates
It freezes or crashes constantly
It cannot connect to Wi-Fi
The battery no longer holds a charge
It’s unable to run essential programs

🧰 How to Maintain Spare Laptops (Recommended)

Your Tech Specialists can help, but school sites can also support by:

Powering on spare laptops at least once a month
Charging the battery fully
Checking that they connect to Wi-Fi
Storing them in an accessible place (not buried in a cabinet)

A little maintenance goes a long way.

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