Student Laptop FAQ's

A laptop, charger, and set of headphones.

Families will check out laptops at their student’s assigned school. If you have students at more than one school, you will need to go to each school separately.  

Tacoma Online students will pick up laptops from the Tacoma Online physical school location. 

No. Laptops can be picked up by a parent/guardian. Parents/guardians picking up without a student should bring identification and be prepared to log into the laptop with your student's district email address and password before leaving the site. 

No. Students and parents may opt to purchase a protective case, sleeve, or bag at a retailer of their choice. 

No. 

The district does not allow students to opt-out of receiving a district device or substituting a personal laptop.

District laptops are configured with on-going support, district-approved software, and security to offer the best experience for students.  Further, personal devices are not allowed on the TPS network.

District laptops have applications subject to licensing agreements, which do not permit installation on personal devices.  Student safety is a district priority, and personally-owned devices may not provide the same digital safeguards.

The student's laptop is a vital learning tool and is for educational purposes only. Students are required to accept the following responsibilities: 

As a TPS student, I will:  

• Comply with TPS Acceptance and Liability guidelines and the Acceptable Use for Digital Resources policy and regulation 6973R 

• Use the equipment for educational purposes only.  

• Abide by district policies and federal/state laws, including copyright laws.  

• Use good behavior; using district technology for political, personal, or private gain, individual business, or commercial advantage is prohibited.   

• Use digital resources in a legal, moral, and ethical manner.  

• Not use digital resources for illegal purposes to harass, intimidate, or bully or to access or possess obscene pornographic or other inappropriate materials.    

• Never share or swap laptops with another student. Keep your password CONFIDENTIAL. 

• Not mark the laptop in any way with markers, stickers, etc. 

• Not remove Tacoma Public Schools labels or asset tags. 

• Not insert foreign objects into openings of the laptop. 

• Not eat or drink near the laptop. 

• Bring the laptop to school fully charged with power cords daily. 

Students will keep their assigned laptop until they are eligible for a refresh, including when they change schools in the district. A laptop refresh typically takes place every four years. 

Student laptops and power cords are returned to their school when students:  

• unenroll from the district, or

• graduate  

Students keep their assigned laptop when they change schools, including transition years from elementary to middle school and middle to high school.

Failing to return a laptop may result in actions outlined in TPS Regulation 3520R, Student Fees, Fines, Charges. 

Students will be required to follow the TPS Acceptance and Liability guidelines and the Acceptable Use for Digital Resources policy and regulation 6973R while using the laptop.

Yes, when the district returns to on-campus learning, students will take the laptops home in the evening and will be required to bring them back to school each day when attending classes on campus. The laptops must be charged and available for student use during regular school hours when used for distance learning.  

A limited number of day-use, loaner laptops are available to students who report to school without their laptops. Individual schools will provide additional guidance. 

The Foundation for Tacoma Students is working with community partners to provide access to internet services.  Please see the foundation’s website for additional resources. Click here: https://www.tacomalearns.org/laptopinternet or email tech@graduatetacoma.org. 

Students may also connect to district WiFi when near a school building. 

In 2018 Tacoma voters passed a technology levy to invest in Tacoma students, the levy funding makes it possible to purchase needed devices. 

The Technology Department held a Tech Fair and collected 459 evaluations from attendees. The results of those evaluations, paired with recommendations from our district technicians and pricing quotes provided by the vendor, established Dell as the winning device.  View additional details regarding the evaluation process.