Christ the King School

Below is the school policy on eReaders and tablet computers, effective immediately.  With questions from students and parents alike surrounding this issue, the staff made a concerted effort to get this out before the holiday shopping season begins.

eReaders

eReaders are devices with E Ink screens, designed primarily for viewing books. Some examples include the Kindle, Nook, and Sony Reader. Students in 5th through 8th grade may use eReaders in school. Students may not connect these devices to the Internet while on campus or use them for any purpose other than displaying reading material.

Parents must sign a release stating that they are solely responsible for the content on their child’s eReader. Books and other digital media must comply with grade level literature guidelines and the student Technology Acceptable Use Policy. Parents are solely responsible for checking this content. Failure to comply with this policy may result in the revocation of eReader privileges.

Tablet Computers

Touchscreen devices with color LCD screens are considered tablets. This includes the iPod touch, iPad, and Android tablets, as well as crossover devices like the Kindle Fire and Nook Color. Tablet computers are prohibited on campus.

Policy Explanation

We have created this policy collaboratively as a staff based on our sincere desire to balance a variety of issues created by the use of personal technology in school. We recognize the inherent usefulness of devices such as eReaders and tablet computers. It is our goal to ensure the ability of students to use them for legitimate academic purposes, while avoiding the potential for distraction and abuse.

We agreed that tablets should not be allowed in school for two reasons. First, iPads and other tablets are priced in the range of hundreds of dollars, and it is generally not desired for students to bring highly expensive and fragile items to school. Second, while tablets can be used to read books, they are primarily designed for Internet browsing, video games, and media, and so have a great potential to become distractions from learning.
Similarly, while there are some games available for eReaders, these devices are primarily for reading. eReaders can provide a number of benefits for our students, including the lightening of their backpacks, adjustable text sizes and colors, and access to thousands of free books. Thus we agreed to continue allowing the use of eReaders in middle school and expand this privilege to the 5th grade, since the students have found them useful and shown an ability to use them responsibly. On the other hand, some eReaders can connect to the Internet through cellular connections that the school cannot control, which is one of many reasons we will not allow students to use these devices to go online. The nature of these devices also makes it very difficult for teachers to monitor what students are reading, which is why we are insisting that parents be responsible for the use and content on their children’s devices. If you choose to buy an eReader for your child to use in school, please take the time to become familiar with its operation so that you can regularly monitor what your children are reading.

The school policy on these devices will continue to evolve with the technology. If you have questions or wish to comment on this policy, please go to http://bit.ly/ufRnf1.  If you would like a direct response to your question, be sure to include an email address.

Responses to Commentary

Since the policy was publicized on Tuesday, there have been questions about which models are allowed in school. The following list is by no means comprehensive, but covers some of the most popular models.