1:1 technology initiatives can impose large financial burdens on school districts. Beyond the initial purchase of the laptops school districts must pay to repair broken or lost laptops and other equipment (e.g., chargers). Costs can add up. Often, district technology fees are charged to all students to cover repairs, but some states in the U.S. prohibit this policy.
Additionally, mandatory technology fees may hinder low-income students’ access to technology and create an administrative headache for principals, who must collect fees from parents who may be unable to pay. This report profiles fee-free policies and other strategies administrators can adopt to help cover the costs of laptop repairs while minimizing the financial burden on families.
Consider multiple policy optionsAdministrators can replace mandatory technology fees with optional insurance plans, fully refundable security deposits, or tiered repair fees to cover laptop repair costs.
Administrators commonly offer optional insurance plans to students and their families to at least partially offset repair costs. Optional insurance programs neither force families to pay a fee to cover damages for all students nor do they place a financial burden on poorer families. Administrators can model their district run optional insurance policy after Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District, Park Hill School District, and Salisbury Township School District insurance policies.
A security deposit payment structure ensures districts have the funds to cover potential damages but allows families to recover all their funds if their student does not damage her laptop. Administrators at Klein Independent School District require families to pay a $350 fully refundable security deposit if families do not…