Middle school students in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district no longer can take home their school-issued iPads
Whatever Happened to the theft of iPads from Cleveland Heights-University Heights middle school students last fall?
“Whatever happened to …?” is a weekly series updating some of the most newsworthy and interesting local stories covered in The Plain Dealer. Have a suggestion on a story we should update? Send it to John C. Kuehner at jkuehner@plaind.com.
Today, we answer this question:
Whatever Happened to the theft of iPads from Cleveland Heights-University Heights middle school students last fall? The problem has been resolved because students no longer take the iPads home.
Last September, the district issued 1,300 iPads to students at Monticello, Roxboro, and Wiley middle schools. Students were allowed to take them home as a continuing education learning tool.
But that experiment lasted about three weeks because the students became targets of thieves.
The iPad thefts occurred between the middle of September and the end of October.
Last November, the school district held a public meeting to discuss how to address the issue.
Some of the 11 iPads that were stolen were taken from students’ lockers, with most thefts occurring at Monticello Middle School, according to Cleveland Heights Police Chief Jeffrey E. Robertson. Others were stolen as students walked to and from school, he said.
Robertson said in an email that some of stolen iPads were found in school lockers. One was found at an area business after a youth was arrested for stealing an iPad from Monticello.
Students are no longer allowed to take iPads off school premises, said Angee Shaker, a spokesperson for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District.
“The iPads stay in school,” Shaker said by email. “Each student still has an assigned iPad. They receive it in the morning so they can use it in their classes throughout the day. Students return their iPads to a locked cart to recharge it prior to dismissal.”
Some teachers have found one major positive about keeping the iPads in school – they don’t have worry about students leaving them at home, especially when they are needed for in-class assignments.
But that one perk doesn’t make up for the impact that the thefts have had on everyone in the school district, she said.
“Most of our teachers, parents, and students are disappointed we had to stop the take home program, but they understand that student safety is more important than bringing this technology home,” Shaker said.
No comments:
Post a Comment