Great Debate: Sending Devices Home — Essential for Connectivity or Asking for Trouble?

As schools aim to close the digital divide, many districts are grappling with a tough question: Should students take school-provided devices home, or is it safer and more cost-effective to keep them at school?

Here’s why this decision matters—and what schools need to weigh before deciding.

Pros of Sending Devices Home

• Bridging the Homework Gap: Students without reliable access to devices at home risk falling behind academically, especially in low-income areas.
• 21st-Century Skills: Home access helps students develop digital literacy and independent learning skills.
• Continuity of Learning: When emergencies (like COVID) arise, students can seamlessly transition to remote learning.

Cons of Sending Devices Home

• Lost or Damaged Devices: Younger students or those in unstable living situations may be more likely to misplace or damage devices.
• Misuse: Without proper monitoring, students may use devices for non-educational purposes.
• Parental Concerns: Many parents worry about excessive screen time and inappropriate content outside school hours.

Our Take: Make It Work with the Right Device Management Tools for Schools

If you aren’t sending devices home, you’re risking greater connectivity disparities. But devices need safeguards to ensure they’re used productively and responsibly:

• Lightspeed Filter After School Rules let schools apply different policies for home use, blocking non-educational content.
• Lightspeed MDM Device Detective helps recover lost or stolen devices.
• Lightspeed Parent Portal empowers families with visibility into their student’s activity and the ability to set boundaries.

Our advice: Send devices home—but back them with device management policies and tools that promote safe, productive use.