By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–They’re here!
Nine hundred laptop computers have all arrived and will be distributed to Union City High Schoool students and some at UC Middle School next week.
The ThinkPad Yoga 11E touchscreen laptops that also convert into tablets were actually ordered more than two months ago with CARES Act money by UC Director of Schools Wes Kennedy.
CARES Act is the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Stimulus bill passed in March in response to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several delays prompted a reorder of the Lenovo brand of computer that is considered an upgrade from the original version. An embargo levied against the initial order allowed for the acquisition of a better computer at the original price.
Another 100 such laptops are on order and part of an expenditure of nearly $500,000 by the Union City School System.
Each Union City High School student will have the opportunity to have a laptop to take home as a part of a one-to-one learning opportunity. They essentially will be issued in the same manner as textbooks, according to Kennedy, and will not only be vital in a traditional in-person setting, but also in Distance Learning instances.
Four hundred of the laptops that arrived on Thursday will be directed to Union City Middle School students, with any future purchases also headed to that campus.
“Our students will benefit greatly from these laptops, as will our teachers,” Kennedy said while inspecting the arrival of the machines. “When we issue them, they’ll have all the software and programs that our kids need to efficiently learn – whether in-person learning or distance learning.
“Technology is so critical in today’s education society. Without a doubt, this was money well-spent, both for our current students and also for ones who’ll benefit in future years.”
Filtering and Microsoft software will be installed over the next several days by Technology Director Jerod Howell, IT assistant Dan Burnham and other staffers. Each laptop will be scanned and logged by school personnel before it is issued next week as UC Schools students return to in-person classes on Monday.
Each of the laptops have an extended warranty, according to Howell, who also said students would be liable for any damages or repairs above and beyond those warranties.
Before receiving a laptop, each student must acknowledge they have watched a video on Internet safety that is posted on the school’s website (tornadotouch.net).
Students will still be permitted to use their own laptops, if desired, according to Kennedy.