North Penn Proposes To Outfit All Students With Computers

LANSDALE, PA -- The North Penn School District has proposed a plan to outfit all students from 2nd through 12th grade with a computer, according to a recent newsletter sent out by the district.

Under the new plan, students in grades six through 12 would able to take the devices home.

The plan will rolled out slowly over the next several years. Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, every student in grades six through nine will be given a Chromebook, the district said. Every teacher responsible for students in these grades will also be provided a Chromebook.

Kindergarten and 1st grade students will continue to have access to shared devices next year as well, the district said.

Beginning in 2017-2018 North Penn said they would outfit Chromebooks for incoming 6th, 11th and 12th grade students for both school and at home.

Incoming 10th graders will already have them since devices stay with students through the years.

North Penn High School (NPHS) teachers will also receive Chromebooks in the summer of 2017, the district added.

The school hopes that by 2017, the district has the technological infrastructure in place to support that many computers and wireless connections.

Detailed information on dates, as well as the types of professional development which the school will offer teachers and students as they learn to use the computers, will be provided in coming weeks, the newsletter stated.

There will also be $25 insurance charge for each child who takes a computer home, the district said, although they noted they would work with families for whom this posed a hardship.