Kids Getting Computers

Soon, all stu­dents at Wauseon High School and Wauseon Mid­dle School will be get­ting com­put­ers.

The Wauseon Exempted Vil­lage Board of Edu­ca­tion announced that the dis­trict will launch a one-to-one tech­nol­ogy ini­tia­tive for the 2014–15 school year. The pro­gram, which will par­al­lel sev­eral oth­ers in the area such as in the Defi­ance and Arch­bold school dis­tricts, will pro­vide a com­puter for each stu­dent to use at school or home.

The com­put­ers being pro­vided are Chrome­books, and will be paid for with a por­tion of the Ohio School Facil­i­ties Commission’s close­out fund­ing. The dis­trict will not use gen­eral fund dol­lars on the ini­tia­tive.

Board mem­bers chose the Chrome­books for their price and “free licens­ing” oper­at­ing sys­tem, The dis­trict will also pur­chase dig­i­tal licenses and use free, online instruc­tional mate­ri­als when pos­si­ble.

All stu­dents in grades 6–12 will be respon­si­ble for the care of their device, and for pay­ing a $50 insur­ance pay­ment each year.

Chrome­books will also be going to kids in grades 3 to 5 at a ratio of one com­puter for every two stu­dents, and in grades K-2 at the ratio of one device for every three students.