Chromebook 1:1 Program Agreement

Niles Community Schools provides every student with a Chromebook as part of our 1:1 technology initiative. Whether a student may take a device home depends on their school building, grade level, and program enrollment, as determined by the building principal.

All students receive a Chromebook for use during the school day. Students enrolled in the Virtual Viking program, or those participating during a period of remote instruction, may take their Chromebook home after the required documentation has been submitted.

Chromebooks remain the property of Niles Community Schools at all times. The device must be returned to the district in good working condition at the end of each school year, upon withdrawal or transfer, or upon graduation. Failure to return the device may result in the student being billed for the full replacement cost and, depending on circumstances, a theft report being filed with local law enforcement.

Two conditions must be met before a district-owned Chromebook may leave school grounds. First, a signed Student Technology Acceptable Use and Safety agreement must be on file with the district (Board Administrative Guideline AG 7540.03). This agreement outlines responsible use expectations and is included in both the student handbook and the annual enrollment packet. This agreement must be renewed each school year. A Chromebook will not be issued, and take-home privileges will not be granted, until a current-year signed agreement is on file.

Second, parents or guardians must consent to the use of Google Workspace for Education services, including Core and Additional Google Services, as well as select third-party educational tools approved by the district.

Not all buildings permit take-home use. Please check with your child's school office to confirm eligibility before assuming the device may leave campus.

The district offers an optional protection plan for $10 per year with no deductible. This plan covers one incident of accidental damage or loss per year affecting the screen, keyboard, battery, touchpad, or hard disk, as determined by the Technology Department. Damage or loss resulting from negligence or intentional acts is not covered and will be billed to the student's family in accordance with Board Policy PO7530 (Lending of District-Owned Equipment).

For purposes of this agreement, negligence includes but is not limited to: the device being left unattended in an unsupervised area, being dropped while carried improperly (such as by the screen or with the lid open), contact with food or liquids, being stored with heavy items placed on top of it, or damage occurring while the device was being used for non-educational purposes. The Technology Department makes the final determination on all damage classifications.

All repairs must be performed by district Technology Department staff. Students and families may not attempt repairs themselves or take the device to an outside vendor under any circumstances. Unauthorized repair attempts void any coverage under this plan and may result in additional charges.

Families are encouraged to purchase coverage even if the device stays at school, since accidents can happen anywhere. Families who complete the Education Benefits Form may qualify to have the $10 fee waived, provided the form is submitted within the first 15 school days of the year or at the time of enrollment for students who enroll mid-year. Forms submitted after this window will not qualify for the waiver until the following school year. Contact your building office for details.

Please note: The power adapter is not covered under this plan. A replacement adapter costs $20.

Families may decline the protection plan. By doing so, they accept full financial responsibility for any damage, loss, or theft of the device (Board Policy PO7530).

If the device is damaged, the student should bring it to the front office of their school building. If the device is lost or stolen, a police report must be filed. In either case, a temporary loaner will be issued and the device will be repaired or replaced as quickly as possible.

District Chromebooks are provided for limited educational purposes only. Access to the district's network and internet resources is not a public access service or a public forum, and the district imposes reasonable restrictions on use consistent with that limited educational purpose. This is the legal foundation for the content filtering, monitoring, and use restrictions described in this agreement, and it is consistent with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), under which Niles Community Schools certifies annually that it operates a content filter and enforces an internet safety policy as a condition of receiving E-Rate funding.

Students receive instruction on appropriate and ethical use of district technology. Misuse is not permitted at school or at home.

During school hours, students are expected to use their Chromebook for research, word processing, class projects, and collaboration through Google Workspace. Streaming movies or music, playing games not assigned by a teacher, accessing social media, and non-academic chatting are not permitted during the school day.

Students have no expectation of privacy when using a district-owned Chromebook, regardless of whether the use occurs at school or at home. The district reserves the right to monitor, access, and review device activity, browser history, and stored content at any time, with or without prior notice, for any reason related to the operation of the district.

Because the Chromebook is district-owned property, the district's student conduct and cyberbullying policies apply to its use wherever it occurs, including at home. Under Michigan law (MCL 380.1310b), conduct involving a school-issued device that occurs off school premises is still subject to school disciplinary action. Students who use the Chromebook to bully, harass, or threaten others, whether during or outside school hours, may face the same consequences as if the conduct had occurred on campus.

Students may not use the Chromebook's camera or microphone without prior approval from a staff member. Any individual being recorded must give their permission before recording begins. Recordings may not be shared, posted, or redistributed in any form without the consent of the district and all individuals present.

We appreciate your support in reinforcing these expectations at home.

To comply with FERPA and COPPA and to align with Google's terms of service, the district requires parental consent for student access to Additional Google Services (such as YouTube, Google Maps, Earth, and Arts & Culture), approved third-party educational platforms, and AI tools embedded in district-approved applications.

These tools are used solely for educational purposes and are governed by the district's Acceptable Use Policy (Board Policy PO7540.03) and Social Media Policy (Board Policy PO7544). Where AI tools are used, they must align with classroom learning goals and be used under teacher direction. Students are responsible for disclosing AI-assisted work to their teacher as directed and remain fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of any work submitted, regardless of whether AI tools were used in its preparation.

With a school-managed Google account, students may access Core Services including Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive, Classroom, Calendar, Meet, and Keep. With parental consent, students may also access Additional Services such as YouTube, Google Earth, Google Maps, Google Books, and Tour Creator.

Google Workspace for Education also includes access to Gemini, Google's AI assistant. When enabled, Gemini may be used to support writing, research, and other learning tasks within Google's apps. Student use of Gemini is subject to the same acceptable use expectations as all other district technology, and must align with teacher direction and classroom goals. Google does not use student data to train Gemini's AI models.

Google collects limited personal information (such as name, email address, and usage data) to operate and improve its services. This information is not used to serve targeted advertising to students. For full details, refer to the Google Workspace for Education Privacy Notice at edu.google.com/privacy.

If a parent or guardian withholds consent, the student will not be issued a Google account and will need an alternative means to complete digital assignments. Please notify the building office if you have questions about these accommodations.