District shifts 1-to-1 device policy: elementary and middle devices to remain at school; high school BYOD option introduced

The Charles County Public Schools Office of Instructional Technology presented a reworked 1‑to‑1 device plan to the Board of Education on June 10, announcing major operational changes for the 2025–26 school year.

Key changes - Pre‑K and kindergarten: class sets of iPads will remain at school. Ratios will remain small (five iPads per pre‑K classroom; 10 iPads per kindergarten classroom) with a teacher device for management and instructional delivery. - Grades 1–2: the district will move from a full take‑home model to shared devices (one laptop for every two students) kept at school for instructional use. - Grades 3–5: class‑set devices will remain in the classroom and will not be issued for home use except for documented needs (individualized education program [IEP] requirements or home‑hospital instruction). - Grades 6–8 (middle school): devices will remain at school as shared classroom devices; students will not be assigned devices to take home as a general rule. - Grades 9–12 (high school): the district will preserve the 1‑to‑1 take‑home model for high schools, but will also create an opt‑in BYOD (bring‑your‑own‑device) program for students who prefer to use their own qualifying laptops or tablets; smartphones will not be permitted on the BYOD instructional network.

Why the change Chief instructional technologist Charmaine Thompson and executive director Laura Bennett said the decision follows four years of experience, federal ESSER‑funded device purchases and an evaluation of cost, damage rates and instructional use. Thompson noted that device damage rates rose sharply when devices circulated widely and were taken home, creating a significant maintenance and replacement burden. The district also cited research and district policy concerns about passive screen time in early grades and said it wants more intentional, pedagogically driven uses of technology by younger learners.

BYOD specifics and equity safeguards - Families who opt out of a district device will be required to register the approved device and sign a BYOD acknowledgement stating network rules (no VPNs to bypass filtering) and that the district is not liable for damage to privately owned devices. - The district will restrict BYOD access to specific device types by MAC or IP address and will not open the network to smartphones. The district said it will continue to provide devices for students who lack home access and will keep a pool of school devices available for checkout when required for instruction or for state testing. - For families lacking Internet access, the district will continue hotspot programs, coordinate with county broadband efforts and direct families to public locations with connectivity. Thompson acknowledged that some rural pockets still lack robust home broadband, and the district will work with principals and student services to supply devices or hotspot access where necessary.

What the board asked and next steps Board members asked how the changes would affect homework and standardized testing. ICT staff said many educational tools are now web‑based and can be used on any registered device; testing will still be performed on district‑managed devices with the required secure testing software. Staff said principals will have discretion to manage device checkouts for students with documented needs and that communications to families would be expanded this summer to explain the changes.

Ending Thompson said the district will pilot the model and monitor damage and equity indicators; the technology office will also pursue vendor discount programs to enable families who wish to buy devices to do so at reduced cost.