Calvert High student urges board to prioritize laptop refresh amid local digital divide
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Summary
A Calvert High School junior told the board that many student laptops are slow, fail updates or won't hold a charge and urged the board to fund a full refresh cycle; a board member responded by saying he will seek a formal technology review at a future meeting.
Blaze Zareowski, a junior at Calvert High School, told the board during public comment that the district faces a local digital divide and urged leaders to prioritize a complete, proactive refresh of student laptops in the FY2027 budget.
"When technology is outdated, it becomes a burden rather than a tool," Zareowski said, urging the board to establish a replacement cycle to ensure students "regardless of their family's income, have the same opportunity to succeed." The student said many current devices are slow, cannot maintain updates or hold a charge.
Board member Mr. Harrison thanked Zareowski and said he plans to make a motion at the next meeting to review the district's technology inventory and the number of laptops, and asked Dr. Newsom to assess what the district would need to be virtual-capable.
No formal motion or vote on technology funding took place at the meeting; board members directed staff to prepare information for discussion at a future meeting.
