MP School Board reviews 1:1 initiative at high school

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News

The Mt. Pleasant Community School District made good use of their one-year warranty for the MacBooks purchased last year for the district?s 1:1 initiative.

?The particular model we purchased had a recall,? Director of Technology Brady McFarland told the board Monday night during a regularly scheduled meeting.

Due to the recall, an Apple representative was on hand the last day of school and examined each one of the 700-some devices purchased for the high school?s 1:1 initiative.

McFarland said since the one-year warranty was intact, the Apple representative also fixed items not related to the recall.

When board Vice President Karl Braun asked how the high school laptops held up, McFarland answered, ?we had some casualities.?

McFarland said there was some common wear and tear with the technology, but there was also some machines that had taken some damage.

?Do you think we need to revisit the damage fee?? asked board President David McCoid.

There is currently a $50 fee assessed to a student if their laptop is damaged.

?Yes,? McFarland replied. He said he understands that accidents happen, but there should be a great fee associated to students who bring their laptop in to be fixed two or three or even four times. ?There are some school districts that charge the full price (of the machine),? he added.

McFarland said looking at age range, it was the younger students who were bringing back their laptops with the most damage. ?I don?t think we had any seniors with damage,? he said.

McFarland added that most of the damage was not happening during school hours, it was either happening at home or in transit. This statement made the board ponder if middle school students really needed to take their laptops home with them or if it might be best for the machines to be left at school each night.

The board also discussed if purchasing AppleCare, which provides service and support for Apple products, would be a good idea. The board originally had declined the extended warranty as they felt the cost exceeded the amount it would be used. However, McFarland said as much as the one-year warranty was used, it might be something to consider.

?Right now it?s all on us,? he said as the one-year warranty had expired at the end of June. ?Just to replace a hard drive it would make the money worth it.?

McFarland also updated the board on the project to upgrade the district?s network connectivity.

Along with approving a 1:1 technology rollout for the high school, the board also authorized a nearly $200,000 network upgrade. McFarland told the board last July that the district?s system would not be able to sustain the added technology. The upgrades began with the high school and Lincoln Elementary ? the data hubs on the system.

McFarland said the project is 85 percent done and overall has been going as planned. ?Our (network) performance is up,? he said.

One of the roadblocks McFarland is facing is finding a suitable provider for Salem Elementary.

McFarland said service to the southern based school is not great, but options for providers in the area are not expansive.