Instructional Technology

• HPCSD Students grades 4-12 will be provided with a Chromebook that they can carry between home and school. K-3 Chromebooks are assigned to the student's classroom.

  1. Parent/Guardian reviews the 1:1 Device Student/Family Handbook

  2. Student and Parent/Guardian sign and return the 1:1 Device Student/Family Agreement Page [signed Student Handbook page]

  3. Student completes in the in-school Digital Citizenship curriculum

• Digital Safety Student Training (accessible by HPCSD staff and students only)

• Hyde Park CSD Acceptable Use Policy #4526.

• View/Print the:

  •  1:1 Device Student/Family Handbook

My home wireless won't work on my Chromebook

• Please click on this link for trouble-shooting tips!

• Please note that the content filtering used in-district is also applied to the Chromebooks on outside networks - students may not get everywhere they want.

What are the Dell Chromebook 11 dimensions? Are there cases?

• Height: 0.83" (21.0mm) (back); 0.79" (20.1mm) (front) x Width: 11.69" (297.0mm) x Depth: 8.57" (217.7mm) Weight: 2.74lbs (1245g); 2.91lbs (1320g)

• Hard-shell cases and chargers (to be kept at home) will be provided to all students

• Students are cautioned about "over-packing" their backpacks in general, due to spine-health and safety.  Additionally, when Chromebooks are compressed into backpacks, the screens can crack.  This is a good opportunity to determine what really needs to be carried in the backpack!

• While simple cases will be provided, there are numerous cases that can be purchases for carrying Chromebooks.  While we can't recommend specific brands, shopping for a Dell Chromebook 11 case will yield a variety of options, ranging from soft-cover to hard-cover.  Prices can range from $12 to over $50 per case.

What is the replacement cost of a Chromebook?

• The replacement cost of a Dell 11 Touch-Screen Chromebook ranges from $300 to $375.

What are typical repair costs for a Chromebook?

• The LCD panel (screen) is approximately $160

• A replacement keyboard is approximately $40

• A replacement charger is $70

• Due to the relative low cost of the Chromebook, most repairs are not cost-effective.

Is insurance available to cover possible damage or loss?

• The Chromebooks are covered with a basic manufacturer warranty.   Generally, negligent or willful destruction would cause a charge to a student.

• The District is not offering an insurance program this year.  Through the Worth Ave. Group, a comprehensive policy is available to families.   Families will need to pursue this option on their own - more information about the Worth Ave Chromebook Insurance program can be found at www.worthavegroup.com

Can my child use their own personal laptop at school instead of the school's Chromebook?

• Our District network does not support the use of personal devices for security reasons.  Students will need to use the school-Chromebook in school, but can certainly choose not to bring these home in favor of using their own devices.  A charging station will be available in the building library for this purpose.  Please note that Chromebooks will not be required for homework.

I'm concerned about what my child may be able to do/see on the internet...

• We have in place Lightspeed Filtering in the school district - this "filters out" most questionable sites that are categorized as such.  For instance, www.poker.com is a gambling site that has categorized itself as such, thus it is blocked. This filtering works at the students' homes on their Chromebooks as well since we have Lightspeed as a forced extension - ideally, the kids cannot get around it.

What about sites that aren't categorized?

• If we learn about a questionable site from a student, parent, teacher, administrator, etc. and we find it is not properly categorized, we can actually "Not allow" list that site. We have done this several times already. Lightspeed is also constantly updating their lists as well.  If Tech Services knows about it, we can manage it. To notify Tech Services of a questionable site that has been accessed via a school Chromebook, please send an email to helpdesk@hpcsd.org.

Can students get around the filtering?

• ...and there's the rub. As vigilant as we try to be, kids will find a way around.  We can filter and blacklist, but new sites appear every minute (according to www.dailymail.co.uk, "70 new domains are registered and 571 new website are created within a minute online, at the same time there are 1.8 million likes on Facebook, 204 million emails sent and 278,000 tweets posted.")  This is why, when talking with parents, we use phrases like "We can guarantee 95% safety, the remaining 5% is up to you."

• Additionally, students are very clever, and very quickly begin searching for webpages about "hacking school Chromebook."  There are literally dozens of videos, most created by 12 year olds, that show how to get around nearly every security feature ever conceived. One such poster brags that if admins block his site, just come back and he'll post a different link!

So now what?

• We continue to work at Tech Services to keep our filtering up to date, blacklist questionable sites, and investigate additional safeguards.

• But perhaps the best safeguard is simply education and vigilance. We recommend that when students use Chromebooks at home, they use them in visible places, and must share their activities with their parents at all times. For a great resource on this, we recommend https://www.commonsensemedia.org/.  The parent section has a ton of information about safe online practices, and how to help your children understand the internet.

• That said, we have families who do not want the Chromebooks sent home. In that case, the assigned Chromebook is secured each night, and is handed back to the student the next morning.  The main concern for that solution is it misses a valuable experience for the child - learning how to use technology responsibly. In some cases the child cannot take their Chromebook home, but then simply uses their smartphone to the same ends.  It's a digital world, and the challenge for parents is how to keep their children safe within it.

• Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Director of Technology, Richard Wert, with any specific concerns or questions.

Common Sense Media: Parenting, Media, & Everything in Between

HPCSD Digital Safety

• Accessible by students only
• Self-paced learning about Chromebooks, digital footprint, and acting responsibly online.