While some students don’t have issues with Chromebooks, others find them to be a hassle in their everyday lives.

The school expects students to handle their Chromebook with care. The policy states specific rules that should be followed when taking care of the computers.

The computer policy of District 128 states that students are solely responsible for the Chromebook issued to them. The policy also states students may not attempt to remove or change the physical structure of the Chromebooks, including the keys and screen. Furthermore, students may not add engravings on the hardware casing.

Peter Rivera, an I.T. Technician at VHHS, elaborated on the process of fixing these Chromebooks when they are damaged. 

“In some cases, it depends on how hard [students] are on their devices. Some students get it chipped or cracked, or part of the frame is chipped off because they drop it or didn’t handle it very well,” Rivera said.

While IT understands the damage that may happen to these Chromebooks, students can’t expect them to replace their computers every time there’s an issue.

“The freshman class’s Chromebook can be sent back to Lenovo for repairs. We try to repair them the best we can, but they only have a one-year warranty,” Rivera said.

Noah Proft (12), explained how he sees these computers tossed around because students don’t treat them well.

“Kids know that they don’t work well very some times, so they get mad. Other times, they know it’s kind of cheap, and if they break it, they would just get a new one,” Proft said.  

Lexi Smolic (12) believes Chromebooks don’t function to the students’ needs.

“I wish we got the new [Chromebooks] because ours [are] garbage. Ours weigh so much, they break very easily, and I haven’t seen one in good condition,” Smolic said.

Eric Rodriguez (10) understands that treating this Chromebook is a priority. Not only is he following the policy for these computers, but loves the versatility of them.

“They allow me to multitask. I am able to share things and work on projects with people around the school very easily,” Rodriguez said.

According to Rivera, I.T. only sees Chromebooks that have been used carelessly once in a while.

“For the most part, [students] are good about the way they manage and use their devices,” Riviera said.