JAY – School Committee members gave unanimous approval to letting eighth-graders take home school laptops on a trial basis. Middle School Principal Scott Albert was authorized to use his discretion on the proposal.

Parents would have to sign waivers giving their child permission to bring the laptop home and stating their willingness and ability to pay for any damaged or lost computers.

The laptops don’t have the capacity to access the Internet outside of the school. The computers have several software programs on them, as well as the World Book Encyclopedia.

Across the state, middle schools are into their second year of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative. Students in grades seven and eight are using the latest wireless technology to widen their horizons during the school day, according to teacher Mike Methvin.

The existing policy at Jay Middle School has been that the state-owned Apple iBook laptops would stay at the school.

But teachers and administrators believe that most of the eighth-graders have shown a level of responsibility, which should allow them to take their laptops home when there is work to be done, Methvin said.

The school’s Technology Committee has drawn up rules and guidelines for students to qualify for taking their computers home.

Students have to be free from rule violations for a certain period and have permission from at least one teacher who has assigned work to do at home. Parents or guardians also have to go to a training session on the laptops before a student can take one home.

Parents or guardians would be responsible to make sure the machine comes back to school on Monday, even if they have to leave work to bring it in, Methvin said.

School Committee Chairman Clint Brook said his daughter, who teaches in another school district, said the laptops have really leveled the playing field for those who don’t have computers at home.

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