EPISD students can take home laptops for summer break

Summer vacation begins for students at the El Paso Independent School District, Tuesday is the last day of class for the 2015-2016 school year.

In an effort to keep students engaged through the summer break, EPISD is giving students the option to keep their school-issued laptops.

EPISD issued 18,000 devices to high school students at the beginning of the school year to initiate its Power Up program.

Power Up is the district’s effort to transition schools into a digital environment.

Students in grades nine through 11 who are returning to an EPISD school can keep their devices.

“For a lot of students, we recognized that (laptops) was their only access to technology,” said EPISD spokeswoman Melissa Martinez.

Martinez said Power Up has been successful, and students proved that they can take care of their laptops.

Students are expected to honor a responsible use agreement parents signed at the start of the school year.

If students and parents choose not keep the laptops, they will have to be returned to the school bookroom.

Graduating seniors have the option to purchase their laptops for a discounted price of $135. The district paid about $250 for each computer.

The payment will have to made with the school’s bookroom clerk. Parents are urged to check with the school to find out what form of payment will be accepted.

The money collected from the purchased laptops will go back to the district’s general fund.

“I honestly do think it will help a lot, because some of us want to study over the summer, and now we can,” said Christopher Duarte, a sophomore at Chapin High School.

“The laptops will be helpful to not only those students who are in summer school, but it will help others continue, and you don’t have the summer slump,” Martinez said.

To learn more about the summer laptop options, click here.

For more information on the Power Up program at EPISD, click here.