With the upcoming year quickly approaching, we wanted to be sure all of our parents/guardians were aware of the changes and terms of our Chromebook deployment. We thought it would be helpful with all students K-12 now receiving a take-home device.
Students in kindergarten, fifth, and ninth grade will receive a new device each year. They will use the same device over that period of time and then return it to the district as a fourth and eighth-grader. Our seniors leave with the device they received as a freshman.
In the past, we have collected a fee of $20, $10, or $0 based on free or reduced lunch status each year for grades 9-12. After some consideration, we have decided to only collect the fee at the fifth and ninth-grade levels. This decision was based on repair rates for the individual grade levels.
The fee covers the first repair. An example of this would be a broken screen. Each student is covered for this repair unless the damage appears malicious. If another repair is necessary during the lifespan of that device, the repair costs will be billed. We will notify the parents/guardians after the first repair either by email or mail so they are aware of the incident.
To better understand the possible costs, here are a couple of examples:
Screen replacement can range from $63 to $170 based on the model.
Device replacement can range from $240 to $310 based on the model.
Please be sure to check your student’s building website or social media for information regarding their Chromebook pickup. Fees may be paid by cash or check. You can find all of the building pages at https://shepherdschools.net.
We hope this information helps better prepare our families for the coming year. We are excited to see our students back in the classroom soon!
The Shepherd Technology Department