Distribution, Movement, and Collection
Distribution
During the first two weeks of school, Warwick will distribute and assign a MacBook Air to all students in the Middle School.
Movement
Students will be provided a protective bag to protect the laptop from accidental damage. Students must carry the computer in a protective bag when moving around the building, between classes, or to their lockers.
Do not place textbooks in the computer bag or overstuff the computer bag; extreme pressure on the computer can cause permanent damage to the screen and other components.
If computers do not go home with the student, they are to be kept in a designated area, either the homeroom, a classroom, or the office.
Transportation Outside of School
Students should keep equipment in the provided cases whenever they are not in use and should always be in these cases when they are in the student’s backpack, bus, or when not being used at home.
It is recommended that students should not take equipment to extracurricular or athletic competitions, events, games, meets, or practices. However, if this is not possible, students should look for locations to keep this equipment safe and secure. These might include the locker room, the school bus, or other designated areas.
Students should consistently demonstrate responsibility and take all necessary precautions to keep the laptops safe and secure.
Collection
At the end of the school year, all the MacBooks will be cleaned and stored, ready for the next school year. Cleaning supplies will be provided for students to remove any dirt or stains, and teachers will inspect and report any damage.
Students may not use equipment over the summer months, unless they participate in an approved summer education program that requires this device.
If a student withdraws from Warwick, the device will be collected during the withdrawal process.
Home Access
As a general rule, devices are to go home each evening. If students take these devices home, they would only have access to a restricted list of educational resources - those available to students on a FID day. YouTube, Google searching, shopping, and many other websites and distractions would be blocked. We understand that YouTube can be a great educational tool during the school day, but to support digital media balance and minimize distractions at home, it will be accessible on school networks for instructional use but blocked on student devices outside of school. This approach helps ensure students stay focused on learning while encouraging healthy screen time habits.
Parents may still request that devices stay in the building if they have devices readily available for their children at home. For those families, if a device is inadvertently taken home, it will not connect to the Internet.
Physical Care of Equipment
Cleaning Care and Maintenance
Students are to keep equipment clean and away from liquids, pets, food, small children, and adverse weather conditions.
Cords, cables, and removable storage devices must be inserted carefully into the laptop. Be careful; cords may be a tripping hazard.
Students will be instructed on cleaning procedures and care of these devices to keep them clean, sanitized, and organized.
Screen Care
The laptop screen can be damaged if subjected to heavy objects, rough treatment, some cleaning solvents, other liquids, etc. The screens are particularly sensitive to damage from pressure.
Do not put pressure on the top of a laptop when it is closed, like putting heavy objects on it.
Do not carry the laptop with the lid open or store a laptop with the screen open (lid up).
Make sure there is nothing on the keyboard before closing the lid (pens, pencils, paper with staples, etc.)
Only clean the screen with a soft, dry microfiber cloth or anti-static cloth.
Charging
It is the student's responsibility to have all equipment charged for the school day. The MacBook Airs have a long battery life and should not require charging during the day.
If a student forgets to charge the computer, they can sign out a loaner charged laptop from the library that needs to be returned at the end of the day.
Asset Tags and Name Stickers
All laptops and bags will be labeled with a Warwick Asset sticker as well as a name sticker. These stickers may NOT be modified or tampered with in any way.
If a sticker is starting to peel, students should contact their homeroom teacher for a new one to be printed and attached.
Students may face disciplinary consequences for tampering with a Warwick asset or inventory stickers or turning in a computer and/or bag without these identification and inventory stickers.
Damages
Students should immediately report damages to their classroom teacher.
Students can sign out a loaner computer from the library until the laptop assigned to them is assessed and potentially repaired.
We ask that parents spend time talking to their children to ensure students know not to hold or carry computers by the screen or close objects between the screen and keyboard. These are the two most common causes of damage.
Under no circumstances should the parent, student, or anyone else take the device to a third party for repairs, updates, or service. District-provided devices are the property of the School District, and District personnel are solely responsible for addressing any related problems.
Usage
Internet Access and Resources
The MacBooks are not for games, rewards, or entertainment. However, classroom teachers might use some educational games to support classroom instruction.
All Internet content is passed through the Warwick School District content filter, whether the laptop is on or off campus. You may use the device at home and access your home internet in support of academics. There is a filter installed, parents should not rely on the filter as a catch-all for inappropriate content. There is no such thing as a perfect content filter. We encourage parents to limit time spent on devices at home and to have a healthy balance of online and human interactions.
A student’s Warwick email is intended to be used to communicate between students and staff. Under no circumstances should students use their own personal (non-Warwick issued) email to communicate with staff. No outside person or organization can communicate with Warwick students through email, except those maintained in a vetted list. These would include some websites that require email verification to make accounts. Parents should not email their children using their Warwick email account; none of these messages will be delivered.
Liability
The laptop is issued to the student who, with his or her parents or legal guardians, are the only authorized users of that computer. Although each student accepts responsibility for the care and use of the device, the device remains the sole property of the District. The District owns licenses for the software installed on the device.
Parents may log into the device using their child’s credentials to monitor their progress and activities. Beyond that, a student should never swap or share a computer with another student or person. They should never share their student ID# or password with anyone outside of their parents or guardians.
Under no circumstances may any of this software be transferred to any other device. In the event of damage to the laptop caused by vandalism or negligence, parents will be charged for the required repair.
Lost or stolen equipment will be the responsibility of the parent for financial replacement. If equipment is lost or stolen, immediately report this to the Lititz Police Department and notify your building principal to begin the investigation and to generate a police report of the incident. Parents will need this police report as we work through the replacement process.
Intentional mistreatment resulting in malicious damages to the MacBook, bag, charger, or any other equipment will result in disciplinary action including the repair or retail replacement cost of the device.
Backing Up Data
Students are responsible for backing up their files to Google Drive. The District or school is not responsible for students who lose files or data because they failed to save them in the right place. If a device fails or has a virus, it will be digitally wiped clean.
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Accessories
Sound should be muted at all times unless permitted by the teacher. Students are expected to bring headphones or earbuds to be kept in the classroom.
Warwick will provide a sleeve or bag for the MacBook to protect the device while transporting. Students should not decorate the device with stickers or anything sticky that will require cleaning.
Damages
Parents/Guardians can purchase device protection within the first four weeks of school or enrollment in the district. Signing up for the protection plan can significantly reduce or eliminate the payment required for device repairs. This would cover the first breakage of the year.
If a parent/guardian chooses not to purchase coverage under the protection plan and the device or its accessories are damaged, the parent/guardian is financially responsible for 100% of all repair or replacement costs. With or without this protection plan, the guardian is 100% responsible for lost or missing items. If deliberate destruction occurs to the MacBook, the district has the right to charge parents for the repair or replacement according to School Board Policy 224: Care and Use of School Property.
Accessories
Sound
Sound should be muted at all times unless permitted by the teacher.
Headphones/earbuds may be used, but at the discretion of the teacher. Students provide their own headphones.
Cases / Stickers
Devices or carrying cases that have pencil/pen/magic marker writing on them, stickers or any other marks on them will be viewed as vandalism. Students may not decorate either the case or bag. There will be an associated cost to restore the laptop to the original condition if marked up intentionally.
A carrying case will be provided and students are expected to use these to carry devices between rooms.
A student may purchase and use their own shells to protect the laptop to add customization. These shells are permitted as long as they do not damage the device and they must be easy to remove. Again, students may not use skins or stickers. These are optional, however if the images or content on the case is inappropriate, the student must remove it.
Printing at school
Printing is discouraged and all assignments should be delivered through our learning management system, emailed, or shared using Google.
For those unique opportunities where printing might be necessary, the MacBook computers will print to district printers in designated areas in the buildings. Students can print before or after school or it is up to teacher’s discretion regarding when students can retrieve printed documents.
Students may be able to print to home printers. If the printer is newer, the correct driver software might already be installed on the laptop and the student might be able to print at home. The District is not responsible for compatibility or support for home printers. The District will not allow the student to have administrative rights to the District laptop for the installation of any software, including printer drivers.
Purchasing Additional Equipment
We discourage parents from purchasing additional chargers or other peripherals for the computers. The Technology Department will not support these other devices.
Monitoring, Customizations, Software and Apps
Backgrounds
Media considered inappropriate, or that which violates the student code of conduct may not be used as laptop backgrounds. The presence of such media will result in disciplinary action.
Software, Apps, and Games
The device is intended for academic use, and students may not install software and/or apps. If additional software is required, your teacher can request specific software installed and this will be pushed out to the laptop assigned to you.
Some teachers might promote educational games and learning activities; however, games not tied to educational objectives will not be tolerated.
Students should have no expectations of privacy on this device and any apps, plugins, or software added not for educational purposes may be met with disciplinary action.
Remote Access Software
Warwick has software designed to push and revoke applications to students as well as a kiosk where students can download optional software applications as needed.
Warwick also maintains remote access software designed to examine a student’s settings, configuration, history, and even current screens. Students should have no expectation of privacy on Warwick devices.
All features of these software tools cannot be used when students are off campus. The integrated cameras and microphones on these devices cannot be used off campus.