Elementary school students will be coming home with iPads and secondary school students with get a laptop as Polk County Public Schools rolls out a one-to-one technology program countywide, the superintendent announced Thursday.
The district applied for the $28 million grant prior to Superintendent Fredrick Heid’s tenure with the district.
He announced the program at the district’s office in Bartow Thursday.
In all, about 116,000 electronic devices will be issued and kept with students in classrooms and at home, even over the summer break if the student will return for the next school year.
Students leaving elementary would turn the iPads in for a laptop as they prepare to enter middle school.
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“It’s an equalizer for students,” Heid said. He explained students who speak English as a second language and students with hearing or other leaning disabilities will gain easier access to their teacher’s lessons with the devices.
Some students already have their devices. The rollout should be completed by mid-October, he said.
Internet access at newly constructed homes has not kept up with the fast-paced growth in Polk County, Heid acknowledged.
However, the district could create hotspots throughout the county with specially equipped school buses. Eight school buses are already deployed for hotspots in known deadspots countywide.
The devices that will be issued to students have been hardened for wear and tear, but parents will be getting a form to buy optional insurance in case computers are broken. Otherwise families would have to pay replacement costs.
Teachers have received optional training during early-release days for implementation and integration of computers into classroom lessons.
Much of the internet, such as YouTube, will be blocked as well as all social media websites. Other software was or is being considered but only if students’ data is not shared.
Paul Nutcher can be reached at [email protected].