High school students in Newton aren’t the only ones being taught new things this year — parents are being required to learn a little themselves as the district prepares to issue I-pads to each student. The parents have to attend a meeting that explains the district’s policy for using the new technology and what the district expects from the students.

Principal Bill Peters says the school policy for the devices was taken from what other districts have done, and tailored to meet their needs. “One of the things that we make sure that we stress over and over and over again, is that this is no different than a textbook. A teacher at any time can and will take that thing and look through it,” Peters says.

“And we are going to make sure that we do that periodically with our teachers right off the bat…just like you’d take a textbook and make sure no pages are ripped, we are going to have an internet check.” He says it is important to follow through with the checks.

“If we just threaten that we are going to do it and don’t look through it, there are going to be a lot of damaging things on there. Because there is great potential in these, and there is also great pitfalls,” Peters says. “We have to make sure kids know it is an educational tool and it is to be used for educational things. So, that is something that we are going to stress — and we will do — and it is the school district’s property.”

Peters says the new filter they will use for the internet is a lot tighter than the one they have now, but like any filter, it sometimes can miss filtering out some things. The Newton High School students will receive their I-pads on September 18th.

By Randy Van, KCOB, Newton