Bella Macleod
Staff Writer
Mira Costa librarian Bridget Sullivan and Vice Principal Deborah Hofreiter implemented a new policy this month in which students are required to check out computer mice and keyboards when using the computers in the library.
This new policy is due to incessant destruction and theft of keyboards and mice, Sullivan said. Students are now required to bring their student identification card in order to check out these items during library hours.
“This has been an ongoing problem and the damage was mainly from a handful of students,” Sullivan said. “When I saw that the keys of an Apple Keyboard were picked off and wires pulled out of a mouse, I took a picture and sent it out to Vice Principal [Hofreiter].”
Like the lab in the library, teachers can reserve the computer lab in the Math and Science Building for class periods. According to Science Lab Assistant Karen Cunningham, missing keyboard keys and broken computers have been a problem in the Math and Science computer lab in the past, however not as severe as in the library.
“There has to be a solution to the the destruction of the computer supplies in the library since it’s the same problem in the computer lab in the Math and Science building.” Cunningham said. “I personally feel teachers should just be walking around and observing what the kids are doing on the computers.”
Students are allowed to use the library from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 3 p.m. on Fridays. The library staff has placed restrictions on student privileges in the library, Sullivan said. Restrictions include reducing the amounts of students inside the library during office hours and requiring students to check out the computer supplies.
“There’s not enough administrators and volunteers to watch over the students in the library,” Sullivan said. “I had to kick out students who were not using the computer lab for academic use and altering the computer supplies.”
Students are required to pay $130 for keyboards and $85 for the mice if they are returned damaged, Sullivan said. There were 40 apple keyboards at the beginning of the year, now there are only 13 undamaged keyboards remaining.
“I think this policy is necessary because school property was being vandalized and computer supplies are expensive,” sophomore Andrew Cornmack said.
According to Sullivan, there were complaints from students who were unable to efficiently do their work in the computer lab. Now, through new procedures from Deborah Hofreiter, these supplies will be kept in good condition, Sullivan said.
“I was trying to hold off on the policy for a while since it takes time to check in the supplies, but it got frustrating and there was no other way to take care of this problem,” Sullivan said.
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