![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LNM-20240812-EDSOURCELOGO-01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFrom November through June, Fresno Unified\u2019s 40,000 elementary students must turn in their laptops. Going forward, they will use them at school.<\/p>\n
The reversal is, in part, to prevent spending over the budget on fixing or replacing laptops each year. There\u2019s also a shift in thinking about the educational value of laptops for students in grades K-6. Keeping devices at school means\u00a0students can start their work immediately, rather than wasting time in class figuring out whose computer is working, broken, or forgotten, teachers say.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really about supporting students in the classroom,\u201d said Tami Lundberg, the district\u2019s chief technology officer.\u00a0\u201cLet\u2019s increase the instructional time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The district based the decision on input from teachers and parents, she said.<\/p>\n
Still, there are concerns that removing laptops from households could limit access to educational resources that engage students and families.
It\u2019s unclear whether other large districts in California are scaling back on sending laptops home as Fresno Unified is doing. Some smaller districts appear to be doing the opposite. This month, for example, 30 students in the Madera Unified School District received laptops through donations from United Way Fresno and Madera Counties.<\/p>\n
The cost of replacing, repairing devices<\/p>\n
Across the country, cost has been a common issue for student devices, according to Adam Phyall, director of professional learning and leadership at\u00a0All4Ed,<\/a>\u00a0a national advocacy organization focused on access to equitable educational opportunities.\u00a0The more students move a device from home to school, the higher the likelihood of damage occurring, Phyall said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWith them now going home and in those spaces, schools are having to replace and repair various machines,\u201d he said. \u201cSchool districts (are) making budget decisions and saying, \u2018Well, maybe if we keep them in our buildings, they can last longer.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the case in Fresno Unified. Despite providing students and families with guidance to take care of the devices, the district experienced high rates of broken or lost devices over the last five years \u2014 up to 30% of devices damaged or lost each school year, costing Fresno Unified about $4 million annually or over $2 million over the technology budget.<\/p>\n Returning to classroom laptops will cost the district $8 million in one-time funds and will nearly eliminate the ongoing costs to replace and repair devices in a couple of years, Lundberg said.<\/p>\n Teachers and parents have mixed responses<\/p>\n Computer keys broke, and screens cracked. Laptops are left at home right before a lesson or a test. Those are some of the reasons Kirk Elementary second grade teacher Ivana Ford-Neal supports keeping computers at school.\u00a0\u00a0Her students were expected to complete several lessons and assignments via online learning platforms from home.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey were not fulfilling that,\u201d Ford-Neal said.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u00a0Fresno families need to know<\/p>\n Since November and through June, the Fresno Unified School District is gradually rolling out laptops for classroom use to all its elementary schools. They are being delivered and installed before students return their old computers, so there will be no interruption in access.<\/p>\n The district is also providing schools with a pool of loaner computers to support students and programs. Schools can lend them to students for projects they need to complete at home or for after-school programs.\u00a0 As long as families return the laptops, even if damaged, no fee will be charged. Unreturned devices will be locked and unusable.\u00a0<\/p>\n Half of Fresno Unified\u2019s more than 60 elementary schools have transitioned to classroom laptops.\u00a0<\/p>\n