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High School Student Laptop Policy

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wraith808:
insurance is recommended ($50 per student per year) to avoid being liable for the $810 replacement cost if the equipment is damaged, and
-cschw (August 19, 2014, 09:47 PM)
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Even with everything else that was said- this little bit is what really sucks.  Can't really leave it at school or not bring it into the house if you're responsible... this is just bad.

mouser:
+1 for what App's post.
Use this laptop as a lesson to teach your kids that "free gifts" are to be treated with a healthy dose of suspicion, and with your guard up.

And in all fairness, some credit has to be given to the school for finding a way to get a laptop in the hands of every kid to assist with school work -- though it would be much better if they let each parent decide whether they wanted the kids to be able to install what they want but take responsibility for maintenance, or leave it as is and have the school do it.  And I'm guessing the signed legal stuff about no privacy rights may be as much about school officials wanting to protect their ass in worst-case scenario, rather than real expectations of spying on kids, but you never know.

Hopefully the school will have an option of providing just the 3rd party commercial software needed for schoolwork (assuming there is any) to kids who have their own laptops.

It does make you wonder how long until some clever kid at that school starts offering a service to:
1. Make a drive image backup of the laptop when it is newly delivered.
2. Wipe the OS clean and installs a new operating system free of any lockdown or monitoring software.
3. Install the original image as a virtual machine if there is any needed non-free software on it.
4. Restore image when it's time to hand it back

Renegade:
+1 all the way up the line there.

I have no problem with school computers being surveillance devices at school (well, yes - I have major problems with all of that, but I'm trying to be nice here - give the Renegade a break, eh?). Laptops? To be taken home? By children? Yeah... not so much.

+1 again for 4wd with data transfers via USB device (or email, or web storage, or whatever).

Then again, I can imagine twisted scenarios to put together for the webcam on the laptop... Point it at a monitor with graphic, unsettling material (e.g. ISIS videos) (or just run software to hook the device & channel it directly), etc. Yes - it's too much effort, but it could be funny! :P "Yes. We have a desert in our home, and we're decapitating thousands of people! How did you know? :P )

It's sad that the spirit of "Am I free to go?" is now needed in the classrooms of children.

Renegade:
And I'm guessing the signed legal stuff about no privacy rights may be as much about school officials wanting to protect their ass in worst-case scenario, rather than real expectations of spying on kids, but you never know.
-mouser (August 20, 2014, 09:49 AM)
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I agree there, but I still don't think that parents should ever agree to that. Power given is power abused. That's pretty much a truism. I get the admin's position, but... sorry. No.

wraith808:
And... I have to wonder.  What kind of laptop that they would be giving students would warrant a $800+ replacement cost?  Hmmm...

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