Baltimore County Public Schools - Arbutus Middle School

BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Darryl L. Williams, Ed.D. Superintendent 6901 North Charles Street Towson, MD 21204

August 30, 2019

Arbutus Middle School 5525 Shelbourne Road Baltimore, Maryland 21227

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As part of our ongoing efforts to support students' learning, BCPS will continue the current practice of issuing each middle school student a device (laptop computer) to be used throughout the school year. This device is assigned to an individual student and is necessary for completing assigned academic work both in school and in the home.

At the end of the 2018?19 school year, feedback was solicited from middle school teachers, principals, students, and parents concerning the device take-home practices. As a result of that feedback, two key actions were proposed related to these practices.

In order to streamline the distribution process, students will no longer be required to return the Student Device Loan and Use Agreement Form to be issued a device. Students can expect to receive their devices within the second week of the new school year. Students' rights and responsibilities, including device care, are outlined in the Student Handbook and the Technology Acceptable Use Policy (TAUP). Both documents can be reviewed using the following links:

Student Handbook () TAUP ()

BCPS feels that a strong partnership with families is essential to a successful student experience. Based on the feedback from stakeholders, BCPS recognizes that families may already have access to a device at home and therefore would not need to bring the BCPS device home. For 2019?2020, BCPS has provided middle school families with an option to opt-out of bringing devices home. Should a family desire to opt-out and designate their child as a day user, they will need to complete the Student Device Loan and Home Use Opt-Out Form that is available at all middle schools.

In summary, all middle school students will be issued a device during the 2019?2020 school year. Students will no longer be required to return the Student Device Loan and Use Agreement Form in order to receive their device; the form has been discontinued. Families that wish for the BCPS issued device to stay in school can designate their child as a day user by signing the Student Device Loan and Home Use Opt-Out Form and returning it to the school.

If you have questions concerning this change in practice, please contact your child's school administration.

Sincerely,

Michelle P. Feeney Principal

Raising the bar, Closing gaps, Preparing for our future

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download