School technology theft is booming

When Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools introduced a  "bring your own technology"  program,  some predicted that it would lead to a surge of lost and stolen gadgets at schools.

CMS Police Chief Randy Hagler says such thefts have indeed become common,  to the point that they frustrate his counterparts in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Hagler

"It just drives their property-crime numbers out of sight,"  Hagler said this week.  "It affects what the community sees as crime trends."

But Hagler doesn't think the problem is driven primarily by students bringing digital devices for classroom use.  While student laptops and tablets occasionally go missing,  smartphones are by far the biggest target for thieves.

The solution?  The simplest one is to activate a tracking app,  Hagler said.  Most often,  that leads to a successful recovery.  Schools are also working on individual strategies to discourage opportunities for thieves, he said.

And CMS is getting security cameras installed in elementary and middle schools,  which officials hope will deter thefts and identify those who swipe someone else's technology.  They should all be in place when school starts in August.

Lost, stolen or broken devices are the responsibility of the family,  not CMS.  Parents and teachers,  what are you seeing and thinking?

Glimpse of CMS tech future

Want a sneak preview of what the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools construction plan might include? Check out Miami-Dade's iPrep Academy, an urban magnet school that uses technology and internships to prepare students for careers.

CMS officials will present a 10-year capital plan at Tuesday's school board meeting. They've made it clear that equipping old and new buildings for digital technology will be a significant part of that plan,  in part because new online testing requires far more internet access than most schools have now.  And they've said some plans for new magnets and choices will be part of that presentation.

iPrep Academy in Miami

At Monday's budget work session,  technology chief Valerie Truesdale reported on a February visit to iPrep Academy, a 320-student magnet housed on the top floor of the Miami-Dade central office. Students work on Macbook Airs that they can take home,  in classrooms where some of the furniture is on wheels for easy regrouping when they work on projects. Some walls are coated in IdeaPaint,  which allows writing and erasing.

The original academy,  which has the superintendent as principal,  has expanded to magnets located within several high schools. While Truesdale didn't come out and say  "We're doing this,"  she cited the academies as an example of how school buildings and technology can set the stage for a newer and more relevant classroom experience.

Truesdale also offered a tip on the latest CMS lingo. Old-timers will recall that some former superintendents referred to big projects as  "big rocks."  Truesdale said Morrison likes to call his new projects  "big bets,"  emphasizing the notion of investing in a future payoff.  Appropriate,  perhaps,  for a superintendent hired from the casino city of Reno.