One-to-one computing was front page news in October.

Westport Public Schools were supplying Chromebooks for every middle school student, beginning with 6th graders at the start of the year and finishing with the 7th and 8th grade midway through the school year.

However, it was just recently announced that 8th graders will not be getting Chromebooks, surprising many students when they heard the news.

The main question is why? Why did the 6th and 7th graders get Chromebooks, yet not the 8th graders?
“The administrators from the district have looked at results from parent and student surveys and decided that since many eighth graders already have devices, they did not require an additional school device,” said Mrs. Kelly Zatorsky, the librarian at Bedford.

Teachers and administrators feel that the Westport Public Schools have enough Chromebooks in school to supply kids without personal devices.

Supplying computers for all students in a grade is not easy. Some of the challenges during the 6th grade rollout have been about responsible use. Students often forget to charge computers, do not carry them correctly, and forget them in their lockers or at home.

At this point, putting a device in the hands of 300 8th graders would take some time and effort and since many students in 8th grade already have their own PCs or Macs, the 8th grade rollout was canceled.
Reactions among teachers and students were favorable regarding the cancellation.

“I think that’s a very good decision, and if the decision went the other way, I’d either lose it or break it,” said 8th grader Gaspar Olea.

Similarly, 8th grade teacher Mrs. Colleen Rondon said, “I’m glad they’re allowed to bring in their own devices because I love using technology in the classroom.”