Berkley School District students in grades 6 through 12 must use district-issued Chromebooks at school and leave personal laptops and tablets at home.
The district reiterated the requirement in an Oct. 23 announcement, sharing a message sent to students that week. The announcement describes the rule as a new requirement but does not specify when it took effect.
The requirement also covers students in grades 6-8 at Norup International School, which appears on the district’s school map.
The district cited reasons including network security, fair testing and equal access. It said its Chromebooks use managed operating systems and restricted Chrome profiles, receive automatic updates and are configured for the secure browser modes required by state exams and classroom assessments.
District devices connect to the internal Wi-Fi network. Personal devices must use guest Wi-Fi, where filtering and bandwidth limits can prevent access to some assignment links or media, according to the announcement.
The policy is also an equity measure. The district said using the same Chromebooks “ensures that every student in every classroom has access to the same technology, battery-life expectations, and learning materials.”
According to the district, Chromebooks connect to Schoology and Google Workspace through a single sign-on. Students whose district devices malfunction, become damaged or run low on battery can get loaners from the media center or technology desk. Signing in restores their files, bookmarks and settings.
Students experiencing slow performance can find a troubleshooting guide in Schoology’s Student Resources folder. The district recommends closing unused tabs, shutting down Chromebooks daily and following the guide’s instructions for clearing browser memory.
