District considering buying laptops for all Vernon Hills middle school students

Hawthorn District 73 is considering the purchase of laptop computers to equip each of their approximately 1,300 middle school students for the 2017-2018 school year, according to the Daily Herald.

Students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade already use Dell Chromebooks and other devices, but they need to share the limited number available in the district's two middle schools.

District officials and teachers have noted that sharing computers creates logistical challenges, and they argue that each student should have a computer to prepare for high school and beyond.

The school board could vote as early as Monday on the plan, which would increase fees from $35 to $100 per student to offset the cost of the computers. The laptops under consideration cost $354 each.

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