| This is a new problem we’re going through. School provides equipment (iPad now, eventually laptop) and charges penalties for breakage whether accidental or negligent. For a $300 iPad, they charge $100 for the first repair, then $500, then $1000. So these are penalties not repair fees. This iPad is expected to last through elementary school or middle school, so multiple years. This is hard for an elementary schooler or even middle schooler and the risk of damaging these things, oddly they do not provide cases but allow students to buy their own. I’d rather go back to paper books that are very hard to damage. The school hired an “iPad wrangler” and cover their salary through the penalty fines. So it’s more expensive than just buying AppleCare. It’s also worse as it takes forever to get service and it’s faster to just go into an Apple store. I’m not poor, but don’t have hundreds of dollars. Here’s some examples of charges- 1) iPad doesn’t work, school claims student damaged it but doesn’t know what is broken or what could have caused the failure, penalty charged, iPad replaced, no appeal possible, iPad wrangler (who has no credentials or training or skills in iPads) rules definitively; 2) another student knocks iPad out of hands onto floor breaking, penalty charged to steward not to knocker; 3) stolen, penalty charged It’s implemented quite stupidly at school with no insurance and no skills for repair. 8+ year olds have a hard time protecting expensive electronics. Not mention that the devices have spyware reporting all activity, not allowing messaging to parents and guardians, and not providing logs or audit to parents and guardians. It’s funny that I dreamed of stuff like a Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer and we get this Brazil-like implementation where everything sucks, but digitally. |
I had stuff like this happen to me in school; my family was not well off, so it was a fun prank for the kids who had money to 'accidentally' break or lose my things that I couldn't get replaced.
Remember, classism is taught early.