Every Cabell County student to receive Apple device this fall – Huntington Herald Dispatch

HUNTINGTON — Cabell County will officially become a “1-1” school district when students return in the fall, meaning each student will have his or her own iPad or MacBook Pro computer to work with for several years.

Using CARES Act and Title I funding as a way to jumpstart the program, district leaders said they hope the initiative will serve as a tool to help close equity gaps made increasingly apparent by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Cabell County Board of Education approved the move Thursday evening through a contract with Apple reaching over $3 million.

“We feel like this is a really positive move,” Superintendent Ryan Saxe said. “That will put our district, for the first time ever, fully 1-1. That includes MacBook Pros for every single high school student in the fall, and all elementary and middle school students will have an iPad with an innovative keyboard.”

Although the federal assistance is enabling the district to purchase the initial round of devices, Saxe said he and his team have put together a sustainable model to continue upgrading the technology as time goes on.

“This is the jumpstart we need, but we will be able to do a refresh at the elementary level every year, as a sixth-grader and as a freshman in high school,” he said.

Each elementary student will keep his or her iPad through fifth grade, each middle school student will use the same device from sixth to eighth grade, and high school students will receive their laptop when entering ninth grade and keep it through 12th grade.

“The great part is that graduating seniors will have the option to purchase their device, so that, one, they take care of it, and two, with the cycle of refreshing, we would rather pass on that device to the student than sell it back to a wholesaler,” Saxe said. “So giving them the ability to purchase that is something that’s an important concept.”

Saxe said although not finalized, the district would like to offer this option to younger students, as well.

Although it’s a step in the right direction, Saxe said, he also recognizes that lack of internet connection is an issue for many students.

“As we continue to work with our state leaders expanding broadband options and opportunities, we feel that that equity gap will close even further,” Saxe said. “We have explored being able to do hotspots, but the problem is that many students don’t have cellphone service, so the hotspots are not really an effective solution to that internet gap because they just don’t have access.”

Saxe said the county is excited to implement the devices into the classroom in August, and while school might not look the same as years prior, the new Apple technology is just another step in the evolution of learning.

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