District to Expand School2Home Computing Device Program

Beginning in fall 2021, Northshore will provide district-issued devices for all students in grades 2-12. This means students in these grades will have a device provided by the District that they may bring back and forth daily from school to their home. The majority of these will be Chromebooks, but other devices may be distributed to students depending on defined needs. 

This initiative is an expansion of the District’s School2Home program, ensuring students have a computing device anywhere and anytime they need it for learning. 

“Prior to moving to distance learning, the District planned to expand the School2Home initiative,” said Executive Director of Technology, Allen Miedema. “The events experienced since March 2020 certainly accelerated and, in some ways, expanded that plan.” 

Students in grades K-1 will each have an assigned device at school, but will not bring the device home. This is a continuation of the District’s program called District2School, which supports the work that is already happening in the classroom and broadens the learning opportunities for all Northshore students. Each school will have enough computers on campus to allow students’ access anywhere and anytime during the school day. 

“By issuing students a district-owned device, it removes the requirement for students to request the tools they need for their education - students will get these by default. Issuing students District devices also removes situations where a student would have to share a single device among multiple siblings in the house or have to try and make-do with a computer that is older or not supported,” said Miedema. 

Another added benefit of district-issued devices is that uniform instructions can be given to all students, rather than having to provide instructions for multiple types of student devices. 

“Teachers are able to know that an application or website will work as planned. It allows students and teachers to have a common language when it comes to accessing technology, which improves overall teaching and learning,” said Miedema. 

Additional information about device distribution for the fall will be shared in August. Families will not have to request a device in the fall - one will be made available to each student in grades 2-12 and provided in the classroom for students in grades K-1.

The expansion of this program and the ability to distribute more than 20,000 devices to Northshore students next school year is thanks to the 2018 Technology Levy, which was approved by Northshore voters.