On Monday the Stillwater (Minn.) School Board approved a plan to give every junior high student and teacher an iBook that can be used at school and at home, according to the Saint Paul Pioneer Press.
The plan would provide Apple laptops to approximately 2,200 students at Oak-Land and Stillwater junior highs. It will be the first time a public school district in Minnesota has taken on such a program, beyond some grant-funded pilot efforts, the article adds.
The students would get the iBooks once they enter seventh grade and keep them as long as they’re in junior high. It’s uncertain if students would be able to keep the laptops once they go on to high school and whether teachers will have to turn in the systems when they leave their jobs. The plan hasn’t been finalized yet. However, Monday night’s 4-2 vote allows the school district to continue negotiations with Apple on the five-year, US$2.85 million proposal, the Pioneer Press says.