Chromebook User and Procedure Guide

CHROMEBOOK USER AND PROCEDURE GUIDE


Mission statement

Amherst County Public Schools will create a culture that inspires excellence in academics, career readiness and citizenship in every child.

The mission of the division’s 1:1 initiative (one Chromebook for every student) is to ensure that all students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through twelfth have access to the digital tools and resources to allow them to be successful learners outside of the school day. To reach this goal, we must provide our students with digital devices that can expand their learning opportunities beyond the walls of our schools.

Purpose of this guide

The purpose of this guide is to provide parents and students with a thorough explanation of how the division will manage its 1:1 initiative. The success of this initiative will be strongly tied to the responsibility, ownership, and pride that our students have when they receive their Chromebook. While the division believes that technology use is critical to student success and needs to be part of the daily learning process, the ability to have a device at all times is considered a privilege that our students should not take lightly.

Receiving your Chromebook

Students will keep their Chromebooks over the summer with the exception of PreKindergarten and Kindergarten. Students will receive a new Chromebook at the start of 1st grade and retain that Chromebook through 5th grade. In 5th grade, students will receive a new Chromebook and retain that Chromebook through 9th grade. In 9th grade, students will receive a new Chromebook and retain that Chromebook through 12th grade. 

Chromebook distribution

Grade 1, 5 and 9

Students will receive a new Chromebook during the first month of school.

 Returning your Chromebook

 Chromebooks (with originally supplied charger) will be returned during the first weeks of school if grades 1, 5 and 9. If a student transfers out of ACPS during the school year, the Chromebook (with originally supplied charger) will be returned at that time.

 

Students who withdraw from ACPS for any reason must return their Chromebook and charger in satisfactory working condition on the date of withdrawal.  These devices need to be returned to the school and checked in.  If a student fails to return the Chromebook at the end of the school year, all attempts will be made to retrieve the items prior to fees being recommended. If the Chromebook or charger is returned in unsatisfactory condition, a fee may be imposed to cover the repair or replacement of the device(s).

Taking care of your Chromebook

Students are responsible for the general care of the Chromebook they have been issued by the school. Chromebooks that are broken, or fail to work properly, must be taken to the appropriate faculty member as soon as possible so they can be taken care of properly. Do not take district owned Chromebooks to an outside computer service for any type of repairs or maintenance.

General precautions

  • Take care to protect your password. Do not share your password.
  • Chromebooks shall remain in their case. Students should never remove their device from the case.
  • No food or drink is allowed next to your Chromebook while it is in use.
  • Cords, cables, and removable storage devices must be inserted carefully into the Chromebook.
  • Never transport your Chromebook with the power cord plugged in. Never store your Chromebook in your carry case or backpack while plugged in.
  • Students should never carry their Chromebooks while the screen is open.
  • Chromebooks must remain free of any writing, drawing, or stickers that are not the property of ACPS.
  • Heavy objects should never be placed on top of your Chromebook.
  • Chromebooks must have a ACPS asset tag on them at all times and this tag must not be removed or altered in any way. If the tag is removed, disciplinary action will result.
  • Chromebooks should never be left in a car, unlocked locker or any unsupervised area.
  • Students are responsible for bringing completely charged Chromebooks for use each school day.
  • If your device is in need of repair, please alert the appropriate faculty member as soon as possible.
  • When charging the Chromebook, avoid stressing the power port on the Chromebook by keeping the power adapter at the same height as the Chromebook.

Carrying Chromebooks

The guidelines below should always be followed when moving your Chromebook:

  • Transport Chromebooks with care.
  • Never move a Chromebook by lifting from the screen. Always support a Chromebook from its bottom with the lid closed.
  • Chromebook lids should always be closed and tightly secured when moving
  • When carrying the Chromebook in another case/backpack, take caution when placing other items (notebooks, books, lunch box, etc.) to avoid putting too much pressure and weight on the Chromebook screen. The screen is delicate and can crack easily.
  • Use caution when placing Chromebooks into bags, to ensure that writing utensils, earbuds, etc. do not slip between the screen and keyboard.

Screen care

The Chromebook screens can be easily damaged! The screens are particularly sensitive to damage from excessive pressure.

  • Do not lean or put pressure on the top of the Chromebook when it is closed.
  • Do not store the Chromebook with the screen in the open position.
  • Do not place anything near the Chromebook that could put pressure on the screen.
  • Do not place anything in a carrying case or backpack that will press against the cover.
  • Do not poke the screen with anything that will mark or scratch the screen surface.
  • Do not place anything on the keyboard before closing the lid (e.g. pens, pencils, or disks).
  • Clean the screen with a soft, dry microfiber cloth.

Protective case

Cases will be provided and students shall not remove their Chromebook from the case.  While cases will not protect from all types of damage, it can still provide protection during normal use and provide suitable means for transporting the Chromebook to and from school.

Using your Chromebook at school

  • Chromebooks are intended for use at school each day.
  • In addition to teacher expectations for Chromebook use, school messages, announcements, calendars and schedules may be accessed using the Chromebook.
  • Students are responsible to bring their Chromebook to all classes, unless specifically advised not to do so by their teacher.

Chromebooks left at home

  • If a Chromebook is left at home, the student will have the opportunity to use a loaner Chromebook from the media center, if one is available. Loaner Chromebooks must be returned before leaving school at the end of the day.

Chromebooks under repair

  • Loaner Chromebooks may be issued to students when they leave their Chromebook for repair.

Charging your Chromebook

  • Chromebooks must be brought to school each day fully charged.
  • Students need to charge their Chromebooks each evening.
  • There will be a limited number of charging areas available to students on a first come, first serve basis.

Backgrounds

  • Inappropriate media may not be used as a screensaver or background.
  • Desktop backgrounds on the Chromebooks with a presence of guns, weapons, pornographic materials, inappropriate language, alcohol, drug, gang related symbols or pictures will result in disciplinary actions.

Sound, music and games

  • Sound must be muted at all times unless permission is obtained from the teacher for instructional purposes.
  • Headphones may be used at the discretion of the teacher.
  • All apps/music/games must be district-approved and/or educationally appropriate.

Printing

  • Digital sharing of documents is encouraged, printing is discouraged.

 

 

At home use

  • Chromebook care at home is as important as it is in school, please refer to the care section.
  • It is required that you transport your Chromebook in a case.
  • Students are allowed to connect to a wireless network when using their Chromebook away from school. Student use of the Chromebook will be subject to the ACPS filtering software even when accessing materials on a home Internet connection. The filtering software will ONLY affect ACPS-owned devices and its use under the district’s Acceptable Use Policy.
  • A WiFi Internet connection is required for much of Chromebook use; however, many applications can be used while not connected to the Internet, including Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and others.

Managing your files and saving your work

  • The majority of student work will be stored in Internet/cloud based applications and can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection and most mobile Internet devices.
  • Some files may be stored on the Chromebook’s hard drive.
  • Students should always remember to save frequently when working on digital media if working outside of Google Drive.
  • The district will not be responsible for the loss of any student work.
  • Files should only be stored in your Google Drive and not in the downloads file folder of the Chromebook

Supporting your Chromebook

Proper care and maintenance of your Chromebook will help keep a device in good working condition over the four years it is in use.

Updating your Chromebook

  • When a Chromebook starts up, it updates itself automatically, so it has the most recent version of the Chrome operating system without you having to do a thing. No need for time-consuming installs, updates, or re-imaging.
  • Be sure to reboot your Chromebook from time to time, especially when it tells you a restart is required to apply an update.

Procedures for restoring your Chromebook

  • If your Chromebook needs technical support for the operating system, all support will be handled by the help desk.
  • The school does not accept responsibility for the loss of any software or documents deleted due to reformatting and reimaging due to technical issues or issue resulting from inappropriate use.

Apps and extensions

  • Searching for and applying most apps/extensions from the Chrome Web Store has been disabled for all students. Some mandatory apps/extensions will be automatically added. 
  • Some web apps will be available to use when the Chromebook is not connected to the Internet, including Google Drive apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.)

Protecting and storing your Chromebook

Chromebook identification

  • Student Chromebooks will be labeled in the manner specified by the school. Chromebooks can be identified in several ways:
  • Serial number
  • School-generate barcode
  • Chromebooks are the responsibility of the student. This device is for your use for four years. Take good care of it!

Account security

  • Students are required to use their ACPS domain user ID and password to protect their accounts and are required to keep that password confidential.

Storing your Chromebook

  • Nothing should be placed on top of the Chromebook when stored in the locker.
  • Chromebooks should not be stored in a student’s vehicle at school or at home for security and temperature control measures.

Chromebooks left in unsupervised areas

  • Under no circumstances should Chromebooks be left in an unsupervised area.
  • Unsupervised areas include but are not limited to the school grounds and campus, the cafeteria, computer labs, gymnasiums, locker rooms, media center, unlocked classrooms, and hallways.
  • Any Chromebook left in an unsupervised area is in danger of being stolen.
  • If an unsupervised Chromebook is found, notify a staff member immediately.

  • Unsupervised Chromebooks will be confiscated by staff. Disciplinary action may be taken for leaving your Chromebook in an unsupervised location.

Repairing/replacing your Chromebook

 

Please report all Chromebook issues to your teacher or appropriate staff member.

Chromebook repair costs and insurance

  • There will be an “Incident Fee” charged for every accidental hardware repair needed. This fee is issued to not only encourage proper use, but also to help offset repair costs.
  • If the Chromebook is damaged, lost, or stolen, the costs and procedures are outlined as below:
  • Software issues = No cost
  • Lost or accidental damage requiring repair = $50
  • Lost or damaged Charger = $10
  • Lost or damaged Case = $10

Lost or stolen Chromebook and accessories

  • Chromebooks that are lost or stolen are the responsibility of the student.
  • Lost or stolen Chromebooks must be reported to a faculty member within 24 hours of the incident.
  • Student must pay the associated charges to replace the lost or stolen Chromebook and accessories:
  • Chromebook: $50
  • Charger: $10
  • Case: $10
  • Note: This process for replacing lost or stolen school property is the same for lost or stolen textbooks

Chromebook technical support

Technical support is available in each building. Talk to your teacher or a faculty member to learn more. All repairs must be performed by ACPS faculty. 

Responsible digital use and awareness

School­-issued Chromebooks and other devices connected to district owned WiFi and internet should be used for educational purposes and students are to adhere to the Division's Acceptable Use Policy. While working in a digital and collaborative environment, students should always conduct themselves as responsible digital citizens.

 

A PDF copy of the Chromebook User Procedure Guide is available for download here: Chromebook User and Procedure Guide