The Newington Board of Education received a technology update Feb. 12 showing an uptick in Chromebook damage and offering options for policy changes.

Key numbers: Technology staff reported about $90,000 currently held in the district's Chromebook insurance fund. They estimated the district loses roughly $1,500 annually from unpaid fees when students leave the district, and they noted replacement Chromebook costs have risen to about $330 per device.

Patterns of damage: The district presented a damage report by grade level: the largest share of damage incidents are at middle-school grades (the transcript lists middle-school percentages highest, with grade 8 singled out), with fewer incidents in kindergarten and early grades. Staff noted some grade levels also correspond with devices that are at the end of a four-year replacement cycle, which may increase breakage.

Policy options discussed: Staff outlined several possible changes: (1) maintain the current one-claim-per-year approach (the district currently does not charge for the first incident in some cases), (2) change terms so the first incident is chargeable, (3) implement a sliding scale for insurance participation tied to free/reduced lunch status to improve affordability and increase participation, and (4) update charge amounts for parts and replacements. Board members asked for clearer communication to families about what insurance covers and for more outreach to reduce damages.

Operational context: Staff emphasized the district's practice of providing a spare Chromebook to students with a malfunction so instructional time is not lost, and they said high participation in the insurance program (about 65%) contributed to the current $90,000 reserve. Technology staff also warned of long bus-like lead times for some hardware and part replacements.

Board follow-up: Members asked the administration to provide an updated replacement-cycle comparison with peer districts and to return with a recommended sliding-scale approach and updated parent-facing materials explaining coverage.

No policy change was adopted at the Feb. 12 meeting; the board will consider options as staff return more detailed proposals.