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District warns families after social-media challenge encourages Chromebook damage; financial and disciplinary consequences outlined
Summary
The board read a district notice urging families to discourage students from participating in social-media challenges encouraging damage to school-issued Chromebooks, warning that deliberate damage is vandalism and may result in disciplinary action and financial liability.
The North Pocono School District notified families and the public of a social-media trend that encourages students to damage school-issued Chromebooks and warned that deliberate damage will carry disciplinary and financial consequences.
At the meeting, board member Mr. Jennings read a prepared statement saying the district has been made aware of a "troubling trend on TikTok and other social media platforms that encourages students to intentionally damage their school issued Chromebooks." He said, "To be clear, this behavior is unacceptable and will result in disciplinary action and financial consequences. Intentionally damaging school property is not a harmless prank. It is vandalism."
The district reminded families that while many students participate in the district Chromebook insurance plan, that coverage does not apply to damage that is deliberate or the result of misuse. The statement advised parents and guardians to speak with students about digital citizenship and the consequences of participating in destructive social-media challenges. The district said it will post the message on its website and on district social-media accounts.
Board members emphasized the message is intended to protect shared learning resources and reduce disruptions to instruction caused by device damage. The district did not give numbers of affected devices during the meeting.
