Friday, June 11, 2010

Beverly High to require costly MacBooks in 2011 - The Boston Globe

Beverly High to require costly MacBooks in 2011 - The Boston Globe

Beverly High to require costly MacBooks in ’11

By Steven Rosenberg
Globe Staff / June 11, 2010
BEVERLY — Beverly High School will require all students to bring their own laptop computer to class beginning in fall 2011, a move that school officials say will bring educational advantages in an increasingly high-tech world.
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But some parents are questioning the requirement because the school has decreed that the laptops must be Apple MacBooks, which cost $900, rather than personal computers, which usually are less expensive.
“I don’t know how people are going to do it. People don’t have the money for that. A lot of people can’t even afford to eat right now. That’s wrong,’’ said Lisa McKenna, who will have two daughters at the high school next year. Her family uses PCs rather than Macs, she said.
The 1,200-student Beverly school will be one of a few in the state to require every student to have his or her own laptop.
Superintendent James Hayes Jr. said the school will help families obtain computers.
Parents will be able to lease MacBooks for $25 per month, with an option to buy.