Parkland’s school board recently approved the purchase of 1,550 Chromebooks for $429,289 with a two-year warranty included.

A Chromebook is a lightweight durable laptop that is designed to run cloud-based applications and store data online.

The units run on Google’s Chrome operating system and play an integral role in the E-Learning process.

Teachers post assignments on the Internet through the Schoology system which students access on their Chromebooks for each class or course.

Superintendent Richard Sniscak reports the new Chromebooks are part of the district’s five year “refresh” cycle for updating or replacing technology items in use.

He said before COVID-19 restrictions were instituted, all Parkland students had access to an electronic device for their own time in school.

Students in fifth grade and higher could take them home, Those in kindergarten through fourth grade could not.

When the schools shut down, the technology department ran a social distance process for parents to pick up the Chromebooks.

Sniscak said the units were placed into the trunk of the parent’s car in a drive-through process.

All students, including those in kindergarten through fourth grade, have a Chromebook at home, the superintendent stated.

Parkland’s Director of Communication Nicole McGalla reported teachers really stepped forward to do new and interesting things through remote E-Learning which had to be implemented when schools closed.

“They are now positioned so much better to use technology in the classroom when schools can reopen,” McGalla said.

Sniscak noted the 180-day school term requirement has been waived.

However, through a combination of E-Learning and regularly scheduled days before the schools closed, Parkland elementary students will have 900 hours of instructional time, and secondary students will have 990 hours.