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> devices that our school board issues to my children

Why is the school issuing anything to students? It should be your prerogative to outfit your child with whatever they need. School can ask for minimums (a pen, a notebook, certain textbooks, etc.) but they should not be issuing anything themselves.

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Because a lot of parents are really not well off. Buying laptops, ipads, whatever is an expense they just can't afford. Pens, notebooks etc are cheap.

Aren't the devices ultimately paid by the parents anyway, though? I guess it depends on how the school is funded but around here it's only private schools that provide devices, so the funds come from the parents.

Property taxes pay for schools and school computers so people are ultimately paying. But school issued helps with parents who can’t afford laptops or tablets, and I think this can be a good thing.

I just wish schools were smarter.

I think iPads are probably the most durable, but they probably need a specialized teaching device like a new version of OLPC.

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