School Board Approves Technology Initiative

The Saucon Valley School Board approved the district’s at its April 23 meeting.

The 1:1 initiative is a technology plan that would provide students in secondary grades with Apple iPads, for use in class and at home to complete homework assignments.

The first year--the 2012-2013 school year--only will receive iPads.

In a press release about the initiative, assistant district superintendent Dr. Carl Atkinson said more than 200 students will receive the devices next year.

"The purpose of the initiative is to increase the access to learning resources for students, and to leverage technology in ways that fundamentally change teaching and learning," the release said.

If the initiative proves successful and the board approves its continuation, the next year both seventh and eighth grade students would be provided with iPads, and the third year grades seven through 12 would all be using the devices.

To determine the initiative’s success, Atkinson said numerous surveys will be provided throughout the year for students, parents and staff to take.

Seventh-graders will also be required to take a digital citizenship course early in the 2012-2013 school year "to understand how these devices can be used in positive, meaningful ways," according to the press release from Atkinson, who told the board a few things related to the initiative are still undetermined.

One of those things is insurance coverage for the devices.

Atkinson said there are a few coverage choices, including the district finding an insurance vendor and parents paying the vendor, the district purchasing the insurance and the parents reimbursing the district, the parents finding their own insurance, or not allowing a device to leave the building if it is not insured.

Board solictor Mark Fitzgerald cautioned that the district cannot force parents to purchase insurance for the iPads.

School board member Bryan Eichfeld questioned what would happen to students who do not have an insured iPad.

“(Students) are virtually required to take (the iPad) home to complete the requirements of their education,” he said.

“If parents, for whatever reason, don’t want their child to take (the iPad) home, the teachers can work around that,” Atkinson said. “Teachers can give alternatives.”

Board member Lanita Lum said students would have the ability to download the content of their iPad to a computer drive. This would allow students access to that information (from their iPad) as long as they had access to a computer.

Atkinson also told the board the acceptable use policy is in the process of being updated.

Board vice president Susan Baxter said the policy is very important. She would have liked to have had the policy updated before the vote was taken, she said.

The next Saucon Valley School Board meeting will be held at 7 pm on Monday, May 7 in the high school library.