SMYTH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD

DR. BRADLEY B. HAGA, DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT

121 BAGLEY CIRCLE, SUITE 300

MARION, VIRGINIA 24354-3140

PHONE:  276-783-3791

FAX:  276-783-3291

SUSAN B. WILLIAMS, CHAIRMAN                                                                                                                      CHARLES M. BUCHANAN, JR.           

DR. PAUL L. GRINSTEAD, VICE-CHAIRMAN                                                                                                   JOSEPH D. JOHNSON 

TARA E. FRENCH, CLERK                                                                                                                                     SUE D. TILSON

BENJAMEN L. ADAMS                                                                                                                                            LYNN M. WHITE

 1:1 Technology Device Usage Agreement

Smyth County Public Schools (SCPS) has created a 1:1 student technology initiative that will provide eligible students with a mobile technology device to use at school and at home.

Use of a device is subject to the SCPS Acceptable Use Policy, which students and parents are responsible for reviewing and understanding. This agreement provides additional information on the use and care of school-owned mobile devices that are assigned to students.

Purpose of the 1:1 Initiative

Computer technology has transformed the world by:

• providing people with instantaneous access to huge amounts of information;
• offering the ability to communicate and collaborate on a global basis; and
• providing innovative new tools and systems for learning, work, and entertainment.

We believe that a 1:1 initiative will create a learning environment that enables students and teachers to reap the full benefits of 21st Century technology.

Ownership of the Mobile Device

Students who are issued a mobile device may take the device home with them during the school year when the students are enrolled in SCPS; however, the devices remain the property of SCPS and cannot be loaned, sold, bartered, traded, leased, rented, or given to any other person.

Upon graduation, or after four consecutive years of paying student fees (or three consecutive years if the student received a Chromebook as a sophomore) resulting in a paid-in-full status, ownership of the mobile device and issued peripherals transfers to the student at no additional fee. Upon transfer, management software will be removed, and the mobile device will be re-deployed as a consumer device. If a student leaves Smyth County Schools before graduation or paying four consecutive years of student fees (three consecutive years if the student received the device as a sophomore), the device will remain the property of the Smyth County School Board.

Receiving and Returning the Mobile Device

In order to receive a device:

• Students and their parents/guardians must attend an orientation meeting held near the beginning of the school year. Students who transfer to schools in which a 1:1 initiative is underway must attend a meeting with their parents/guardians and the principal or his or her designee to review the 1:1 program.
• Students or parents/guardians must pay the mobile device fee for the school year.
• Students and their parents/guardians must read and sign this Technology Device Usage Agreement.

Mobile devices will be assigned to eligible students in the same manner as a textbook. SCPS will record the serial number of each device and the student to which the device is assigned. This device will remain with the student for the remainder of the school year unless he or she withdraws from school, at which time the student and his parents/guardians are responsible for returning the device to the school.

Students will be assigned the same device each year they are enrolled in SCPS.

The student’s right to use and possess the device and all peripherals terminates no later than the last day of the school year unless earlier terminated by SCPS or upon student withdrawal from the school through dropping-out, suspension, expulsion, or transfer.

The student must return the device to the school from which the device was originally assigned. The school principal or his or her designee will be in charge of seeing that devices are returned in a timely manner. Failure to return the device to the school on the designated date may result in criminal charges being sought against the student, parent, and or the person who has the laptop.

Student Responsibilities

Students are responsible for the devices issued to them and must adhere to the following:

• Students must comply with the SCPS Acceptable Use Policy and all other SCPS policies and procedures when using their devices, regardless of where and when that use occurs (e.g., at home/at school, before/after school).
• Students must bring their devices to school every day in a fully charged state.
• Students must treat their devices with care and never leave them in an unsecured location.
• Students must keep their devices in a protective case or backpack when traveling.
• Students must promptly report any problems with their devices to their school’s Media Center.
• Students may not remove or interfere with the serial number and other identification tags on their devices.
• Students may not attempt to remove or change the physical structure of their devices, including the keys, screen cover or plastic casing; or attach stickers or labels of any kind to their devices.
• Students may not attempt to install or run any operating system on their devices other than the operating system supported by SCPS; that is, students must not root their devices, turn on Chrome developer mode, or make other modifications to the devices’ operating systems.

Parent/Guardian Responsibilities

By signing this agreement, parents/guardians whose students are issued a mobile device are responsible for:

• Paying the annual 1:1 Technology Device fee and any other charges incurred under this program, such as a deductible for loss or damage to the device;
• Ensuring that students return the device at the end of the school year, when they withdraw from the school which issued the device, or when directed to do so by SCPS;
• Taking reasonable precautions to ensure that their students take care of their devices and abide by SCPS Acceptable Use Policy.
• Promptly reporting the loss of or damage to any device to the SCPS school that issued the device to the student.

SCPS strongly encourages parents/guardians to work with their children to develop good digital citizenship and Internet safety skills.

Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety

One of the goals of SCPS’s 1:1 student technology initiative is to help students develop good digital citizenship behaviors and Internet safety skills. These include, but are not limited to:

• Using the 1:1 devices for learning and collaboration on school projects.
• Learning and respecting copyright laws. For example, students will learn that using copyrighted music, images, programs, video and other content without the permission of the copyright owner is an infringement of copyright law.
• Respecting the privacy of fellow students and faculty by not using the devices to photograph or otherwise record anyone without that person’s permission.
• Demonstrating respect and kindness toward others by not engaging in any cyberbullying.
• Demonstrating respect for the laws of Virginia and the United States by not engaging in hacking or other illegal computer-based activities.
• Demonstrating respect for oneself by using good judgment when posting information and opinions to social media.

Responsibility for Electronic Data/Monitoring

Students are solely responsible for any apps or extensions on their devices that are not installed by SCPS employees. Students are responsible for backing up their data to protect from loss. Until ownership rights transfer to the student as described above, students, like all users of SCPS technology, have no rights, ownership, or expectations of privacy to any data that is, or was, stored on their device and are given no guarantees that data will be retained or destroyed, other than data covered by the federal Family Educational Records and Privacy Act (FERPA).

All activity on school division-owned computers, networks, and other electronic devices may be monitored by school authorities.

Parents and guardians should note that students’ Internet access is monitored and filtered while the students are at school in accordance with state and federal law; however, students may be able to access unfiltered Internet content when they connect to networks outside the control of the school division, such as public Wifi hotspots or home networks. SCPS is not responsible for any content students access when they are connected to networks outside the control of the school system.

Technical Support and Repairs

SCPS will provide technical support and repair services for the devices as long as they remain the property of SCPS. Under no circumstances should a student take a device to a third-party for repairs or attempt to repair a device by disassembling it or making any modifications to it. This clause does not prevent students from executing normal software troubleshooting procedures, such as restarting the device or one of its applications in the event of a freeze. SCPS will have the sole discretion on whether to repair or replace a device.

Temporary Equipment and Lending

If a student’s 1:1 device stops working, the school has a limited number of loaner devices for use while the student’s device is repaired or replaced. This agreement governs use of such loaner equipment as well as the student’s division-issued device. The student may not opt to keep an inoperable device to avoid doing class work. If a student does not bring his/her device to school, the student’s teacher may require the student to borrow a device from the school in order to complete that day's learning activities. This loaner device must be returned before the end of the day.

Loss, Damage, and Insurance

To help cover the costs of providing the mobile devices to students, SCPS charges each student a fee of $20 per year per device. This fee goes into a 1:1 device self-insurance fund that is used to pay for lost, damaged, or broken devices.

Devices issued to students come with a limited warranty that usually lasts one year from the date of purchase of the device. During the time that the warranty is in effect, SCPS will repair or replace damaged equipment resulting from normal use that is covered by the warranty. Any damage or repair not covered by the warranty will be the responsibility of the student and his/her parent/guardian. Loss of the device and breakage caused by dropping the device are examples of damage not covered by the warranty.

The $20 annual fee serves as a premium for the 1:1 device self-insurance fund. In the event that a student loses or breaks a mobile device, SCPS will charge the student the following deductibles to recover a portion of the cost of replacing or repairing the device. After the first

References:        SCSB Policy IIBEA/GAB

Signature Form

The student AND his/her parent or guardian must sign the 1:1 Technology Device Usage Agreement and return the completed form in order for the student to receive the 1:1 device. A device will not be issued without a parent/guardian signature.

By signing below, the student and his or her parent/guardian agree that they have read and understood the SCPS’s 1:1 Technology Device Usage Agreement;  that they agree to follow and be bound by those guidelines as well as all other applicable SCPS policies and procedures. The student and his or her parent/guardian agree that SCPS owns the device, management software, and peripherals until the student graduates from Smyth County Schools or pays four consecutive years of student fees and that if the student ceases to be enrolled in Smyth County Schools for any reason prior to graduation or prior to paying four consecutive years of student fees, the device and issued peripherals must be returned to SCPS in good working order or full replacement cost will be charged to the student and his or her parent/guardian. The student and his or her parent/guardian also agree to hold SCPS harmless and that SCPS, its employees, or officers shall not be liable for any claim of damage, negligence, or breach of duty alleged regarding the student’s use of the device, management software, or issued peripherals.

Printed Student Name: ____________________________________________

Student Signature: _______________________________________________

Printed Parent/Guardian Name: _____________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________________

Date: __________________________________________________________