Concerned about a series of thefts involving laptops issued to students as part of the Indiana district's new 1:1 initiative, school officials will no longer allow the computers to be taken home.

Less than a year after launching a new one-to-one laptop program involving students in grades 5-12, administrators in Indiana's School City of East Chicago district insisted that those laptops be returned to school and remain in the building solely for daytime use. The recall was prompted by concerns over the theft of several of the program's MacBook laptops, one of which occurred at gunpoint.

A statement from a district spokeswoman explained the rationale for the decision:

It has recently come to the attention of the School City's administration that there are potential safety risks associated with students being outside of school with a laptop computer. With our greatest priority being the safety of our students, the School City of East Chicago aims to eliminate that potential safety risk by keeping all laptop computers at school for daily use in the classrooms. As of today, Wednesday, November 9, SCEC-owned computers will be available for students to use within the safety of their school only. Students will have access to a Mac laptop computer every day in the classroom to use as required or needed to advance their education

According to the local newspaper report, students were called to the auditorium on the day the decision was announced and asked to surrender their laptops immediately. Those who did not have their MacBooks with them were reportedly escorted home by an East Chicago police officer to get them.

The abruptness of the recall (students and parents report having had no warning) and the use of police escorts to obtain computers from students' homes has many families upset. One mother complained, "I told [my daughters] they don't have to get into a police car unless they have been charged with a crime. I told them to stay at school. This is ridiculous. It is completely unacceptable."

Many are also concerned about the loss of a tool that, after nearly a year of 1:1 use, students have come to count on for their work outside of school. As high school senior Orlando Navarro put it, "We have projects to do. We need our laptops!"

Proponents of one-to-one computing, including school authorities in nearby Munster, Indiana, which also has a one-to-one initiative, are puzzled by the extent of the problem in East Chicago. According to Munster assistant superintendent Richard Sopko, his district has had few problems with theft or damage. This mirrors reports from many other 1:1 districts—including those in a number of low-income communities—that have found that, with adequate planning, family education, insurance, and tracking devices, theft has not been a major problem.

TAKE OUR QUICK POLL: If you have experience with one-to-one, we'd love to hear from you. Did East Chicago overreact? Or have you seen similar problems? Is sending expensive laptops home with students asking for trouble?

Source: East Chicago Laptops Must be Kept in School, NWI Times