McAllen schools prepare for iPads, security deposit

McALLEN – School officials have begun informing parents of the new fees and policies associated with the district’s initiative to purchase nearly 27,000 mobile Apple devices for every McAllen student and teacher.

The school board has held a number of community forums, with a final one set for Tuesday, Feb. 7, to explain what students can and cannot do with the iPads and iPod Touch devices. And district officials report parents have reacted positively to a $40 security deposit required for every participating student.

“We already have parents who use the (musical) instruments in our district inventory and pay a one-time fee. It’s the same thing,” Assistant Superintendent Rachael Arcaute said.

“That is several hundred dollars walking out of the door with the student each day,” she said. “There are accidents that can and will occur, so we need to make sure we can afford to repair” the Apple devices.

Last fall, the district announced its technology initiative – dubbed Transforming Learning in the Classroom, Campus and Community, or TLC-3 – after trustees committed more than $20 million in local, state and federal funds over the next five years to provide an iPad or iPod Touch to about 25,300 students and 1,634 teachers.

Hundreds of the devices will land on select campuses next month. And district officials, who anticipate a system-wide rollout within 18 months, have hosted the community forums to prepare families for the shift.

“As we go through with the next two rollouts in the next year-and-a-half, we will learn from them,” Arcaute said. “But campus staff know their families well.

“They those who can and cannot afford (the deposit), and at that point they would take care of the child with possible scholarships.”

Arcaute added parents have been very receptive to a payment plan that would permit splitting the $40 in two payments on March 5 and April 5.

The district would refund the deposit when families return a device in “acceptable condition,” though students will also receive a protective case with each iPad or iPod Touch.

The fee made sense to Cynthia Ramón, a 50-year-old McAllen mother whose son Eduardo attends Castañeda Elementary. Along with other special education students, Eduardo already received his iPad not long after he transferred into the McAllen school last fall.

“I had wondered why they wouldn’t make a parent responsible for these expensive devices,” Ramón said. “You’ll have families who don’t appreciate what they get.

“If you want your child to learn, this is a device that will help reach that mission. Only $40 is a very reasonable, inexpensive investment.”

District officials have also informed parents that software blocking adult or distracting websites on school computers will be implemented when the iPads connect to campus Internet networks. But they expect parents to patrol their child’s browsing habits at home.

The district has already crafted new policies for downloadable content, user accounts, tracking applications, payment options and more. Officials will explain them to members of the public at Hendricks Elementary, 3900 Goldcrest Ave., at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7.

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Neal Morton covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at nmorton@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4472.

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BACKGROUND
Earlier chapters in this story:
>> McAllen school officials discuss iPads, IDEA
>> McAllen school board hosts iPad forum