How much is the 1:1 Program costing the taxpayers?
The District has deployed approximately 600 Apple MacBooks, leased using revenue gained from the Educational Broadband Spectrum (EBS) deal rather than revenue gained through taxation. The EBS revenue stream comes from royalties paid to the Point Pleasant Beach School District by the Sprint Nextel Corporation which leases the spectrum from the school district. In preparation for the deployment, school District Administrators have worked along with the Board of Education to improve the technology infrastructure at G. Harold Antrim School –again using the dollars earned from the EBS deal.
What happens if the MacBook is damaged?
The District has, in the initial lease deal with Apple, included a warranty program for each laptop. This program covers many of the common issues with laptop damages. A small number of replacement laptops will be available, in the event that a student's machine needs to be replaced due to damages. The damaged machine will then be returned to Apple for a replacement covered under the warranty.
The School District has also partnered with an insurance company that offers a policy, which can be purchased at a very low cost by parents, that will further cover the laptop. Information on this program has been made available to all 6th through 12th grade parents.
How is internet access from home handled by the school?
The laptops provided to the students in the 1:1 program are setup to run Safari as the internet software program. No other internet access software can be installed and run on the laptops. The Safari that the students run has been configured to route internet traffic from their home internet back through the schools firewall. This forces the same internet rules that are enforced in school to apply to home access via the the school's laptops.
Can I print to my home printer?
Many of the current printers available for home use have the ability to print to the Apple MacBooks. The printer will connect to the MacBook using a USB cable, or it may be possible to connect wirelessly. The pre-installed drivers on the MacBook will recognize most of the current printers on the market, however not all drivers are installed. Should drivers need to be installed, the students will have to contact the IT staff in school to assist. Once the drivers are loaded, the printers will function normally. Students do not have permission to install drivers to the MacBooks themselves.
Where do I take my computer if I have issues with it?
Any and all issues with the laptops should be brought to the schools' IT staff. Bringing the MacBook to an Apple store for service can lead to many software issues with the school software installation. The MacBooks are configured for the Point Pleasant Beach School environment. Apple stores do not have that configuration information. They will attempt to reset system passwords, which will then disable the ability for the MacBook to function on the school network and may lead to loss of student data. Also, the AppleCare warranty program, which covers the MacBook service, is registered to the School District and not the individual student. Apple stores will not be able to access this coverage to cover the costs of repairs/service and the student/parents will have to pay that cost directly.
How long does a repair take and what is the process?
When a student brings their laptop to the IT Staff for repair/servicing, they are normally given a loaner computer. Depending on whether the damage is machine related or user related, they may/may not be able to take the loaner computer out of the school building. In general, unless a student is causing physical damage, they will be allowed to take a computer out of the building.
If the repair/service is machine related, meaning a possible hardware failure, the MacBook is sent to an Apple repair center. Most times, the student will have their MacBook back in under 5 school days.
If the repair/service is user related, meaning damage to displays due to dropping, banging, stepping on it, etc, and insurance claim is filed by the IT Staff. Students/parents will not be involved with contacting the insurance company, only the IT Staff will. A claim is filed and the necessary parts are ordered. When the parts arrive, a letter is sent to the students home regarding the insurance deductible amount to be paid and the MacBook is repaired in-house. Once repaired and the deductible received, the Macbook is returned. This process is now taking less than 1 week. They will have use of loaner computer during that time.
If you have other questions and don't see them here, please email your question to 1to1@ptbeach.com
