CENTRAL KITSAP — Starting in the fall, high school students in the Central Kitsap School District will be able to bring their own electronic devices from home to aid their schoolwork.

This Bring Your Own Device rule, according to CKSD communications director David Beil, is in response to families requesting the students be allowed to do so.

“Up to this point, we’ve been providing Chromebooks to students for the classroom,” he said, “and being able to use those devices to connect to online resources, that sort of thing.”

For students who don’t have their own devices, or don’t want to use them for school, Beil said the district will still be providing Chromebooks for school and at-home use for the students.

“We want to make sure that each student has access to these tools,” Beil said. “We’re not trying to take that away from anybody.”

With curriculums utilizing more and more online resources to enhance a student’s learning experience, access to this technology is important. Beil said that the technology “allows the teachers to collaborate with the students,” and for students to collaborate with other students as well.

There are some restrictions on the devices allowed, however. To meet state testing requirements, the devices must include an external keyboard, a 10-inch or larger screen, screen resolution of 1024 pixels by 768 pixels or more and a secure browser that supports state testing.

Furthermore, personal devices will not have printing capabilities on school campus, there won’t be charging stations available and CKSD will not provide tech support for personal devices.

Students will not be required to use their personal device, and the decision can be changed either way at any point.

For more information, visit the CKSD information page at bit.ly/2rvb0sT.

— Michelle Beahm is the online editor for the Kitsap News Group. She can be reached at mbeahm@soundpublishing.com.