While looking through my mom's inbox for recent news regarding the upcoming school year, I was shocked to see that, from this year, students would be required to use a school-issued Chromebook while on campus. This move causes several problems, each of which I will address.

The first reason is that moving to a Chromebook imposes a huge limitation on students whose activities require better hardware or unrestricted access to Google services. For example, I am currently enrolled in a community college language course, which I access through my personal Google account. As I do not take an in-person language course at Classical Academy, I have an extra period in which I attend Self-Directed Learning (SDL; similar to study hall). My original plan was to use the time to work on my college class. However, doing this requires me to access my personal Google account—something that is simply not possible while using a Chromebook. This problem doesn’t affect just me, but every student who needs to access work on their personal account.

This brings me to my second point. This change directly applies to the Personalized Learning Campus, where students are encouraged to personalize their learning, often by enrolling in community college courses. As stated on the school website, “Students at the Personalized Learning Campus have the most flexibility in blending classroom and independent study options with college prep coursework.” However, as of the recent changes in policies, this is simply not the case. In order to preserve the unique flexibility within the PLC, we must allow more freedom for the students.

Perhaps the most relevant point to students and their families is the financial implications. Some students, including myself, have invested hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars toward a dedicated school computer. Some reasons why families have spent this much money on personal computers for their children are for reasons such as mine. However, there are several more concerns regarding the school Chromebooks. First and foremost, there are concerns about privacy—and for good reason. While on the school network, teachers can use GoGuardian to watch the screens of students at any time. For some students this may not be a problem, but for others, who fear judgment and discrimination based on their personal beliefs or opinions, this may feel like a risk.

Three main points are made in the email announcing this change. The first is that they “want to ensure every student has access to the same and high-quality tools and resources.” This claim is indisputably flawed. One issue that teachers had during the past school year was that students with Chromebooks were unable to access resources required for class and were forced to work on assignments at home. Addressing the quality of the Chromebooks—with a quick Google search, the price of the “high-quality tool” is $60. When viewing reviews for the product, 43% of them are one or two stars.

The second argument raised by the school is that students will be able to use the same operating system, apps, and extensions. Apps are not an issue for anyone who knows how to use a computer, which leads me to my second point. Forcing students to use the same operating system is not setting them up for success in life. Almost all of our generation will have some contact with a computer in our personal and professional lives, and ChromeOS (the operating system used on Chromebooks) has a disproportionately small market share. According to StatCounter, 1.02% of all computers use ChromeOS, with the majority of them being students. Forcing students to use Chromebooks is harmful for their digital literacy—something that is all too important in the coming years. The case for extensions is almost non-existent, as the only one that affects students is GoGuardian—the same one that is used to spy on their every move.

The third and final claim by the school is that, by enforcing Chromebook use, tech support will be able to more effectively help students. Students using their native operating system will naturally encounter fewer problems than on an unfamiliar school device. The majority of my classmates who use personal computers have never encountered any problems that impacted their schoolwork. When they forgot their personal computer, many of them had trouble navigating the school-issued device.

“Every student receives education designed for how they learn best.” This quote is part of the school's vision, or its long term goal. The alteration of policy puts the personalization of students’ learning at risk, directly conflicting with the school’s vision. In conclusion, for some students, Chromebooks may be a better decision, but for a large population of the student body, flexibility and customization—two traits associated with PLC—are needed in order to improve their overall learning experience. Forcing students to use Chromebooks limits our learning and is overall detrimental to the school’s culture.

By signing this petition, you are advocating for policy changes that promote educational autonomy, ensuring that students have the freedom to utilize the technology that best supports their learning. Join us to prevent this change from happening, and to support student freedom.