Adams Central opts to self-insure student MacBooks, approves protective cases

Administrators urged the board to approve protective cases for new high-school MacBooks and recommended against buying a third-party insurance plan. Administrators argued that historical damage rates for district laptops have been low and that self-insuring—coupled with cases—would likely be more cost-effective.

Greg and Mr. Snyder explained that prior MacBook Air cycles produced roughly a 5% damage rate and that an insurance plan would have added roughly 25% of replacement cost over the life of the devices. "We feel it's a good decision to just kind of self-insure," Greg said, explaining the district's rationale for purchasing cases rather than the insurance policy.

A board member who identified themselves as a parent asked how accident repairs would be handled and whether parents could be responsible for repair costs in non-accidental incidents. Administrators said genuinely accidental damage would be handled by the district, while damage resulting from misuse would likely be billed to parents; board discussion referenced a modest fee (about $50) as an incentive for careful use.

The board moved, seconded and approved the purchase of protective cases and declined the insurance plan during the same action. Administrators said they will finalize communication to families describing expectations, exceptions and any repair-fee structure.