LYNNFIELD ― School district Director of Technology Stephanie Hoban updated the School Committee Tuesday night on the district’s plans to address its problems with technology, which include expiring devices and privacy concerns.
While she cited a number of concerns, Hoban also provided a positive update regarding student access to technology.
The Lynnfield Public Schools has nearly 3,000 Chromebooks, which is enough to provide each student in the district with a device, Hoban said. However, she said that each of these devices comes with an expiration date for upgrades; this means that the Chromebooks become invalid for Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and other testing, which is currently administered via these devices.
Since the Chromebooks still work after their expiration date, Hoban said, they can still be used for other non-testing purposes. In the district, an average of 130 Chromebooks expire each year, which results in them having to be replenished by the district, she said.
Hoban said the district’s plan is to purchase new Chromebooks for students entering the fifth and ninth grades; this would allow four years of life for each student’s device at the middle- and high-school level, she said.
The district also plans to hire a new Chromebook inventory manager, who would create an inventory system with the aim of ensuring students return their devices to the school district when they graduate.
Hoban said the technology department has also implemented a privacy plan; this new database includes applications on devices that are aimed at securing privacy for students using the technology. Parents and guardians are required to sign a Google document, which permits teachers to use these applications in school.
In other technology updates, a new information-management system, PowerSchool, will be implemented in the district by the 2022-23 school year, Hoban said.
