Fullerton Schools Reach Compromise on Laptop Program
Students within the Fullerton School District will have equal access to computers in the Laptops for Learning program, thanks to a settlement negotiated by the ACLU of Southern California after four months of talks.
Under the agreement, parents will be able to choose whether or not their school should participate in the program, which aims to bring technology into the lives of students. If a majority of families at a school decide to implement Laptops for Learning, parents may then either purchase the $1,500 Macintosh G4 laptops outright, or borrow one from the district.
“We’re pleased to have worked out a way for families to participate fully in the laptop program even if, for whatever reason, they choose not to buy computers,” said Hector Villagra, director of the ACLU/SC Orange County Branch Office.
When the pilot program was originally announced, parents who did not meet the strict requirements for financial aid were forced to either transfer their children to alternate schools or buy the computers whether they could afford them or not. Several parents, concerned that the fee for computers violated the state constitutional guarantee of a free public education, alerted the ACLU/SC.
Under the settlement, the program can be initiated if the total number of families that voluntarily lease computers through lease/purchase agreements, those that qualify to buy computers through grants, and those loaned computers purchased by the school with federal, state and local funds, not including the district’s general fund, equals 90 percent. The district will then provide the remaining 10 percent of students with computers to borrow. Students will have equal access to computers during the school year regardless of whether they purchased or borrowed them. The settlement also creates a fund for parents seeking reimbursement for past participation in the program.
The Orange County Superior Court will oversee the settlement for the next five years.
JULY 2006
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Fullerton Schools Reach Compromise on Laptop Program
