iRock plan unveiled for Rock Hill Schools

The Rock Hill School Board got its first look at the long-touted iRock program Monday.

The program, as the name might suggest, seeks to put an Apple iPad in the hand of every student in the district, using it as a tool to encourage round-the-clock learning and incorporating the devices into the classroom for everyday use.

Monday night, the district heard the $85 price tag that would be passed on to the student for a yearly fee. Superintendent Lynn Moody explains.

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Moody and her staff have touted the program as a way to incorporate everyday changing technology into the classroom of the future.  Associate superintendent of operations Tony Cox told the board the fee would cover the leased device, security software and an insurance pan. Cox says the fee is more than fair.

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That fee covers just under half of the $199 yearly fee the district will pay to lease the device from Apple.

Cox says another part of the equation — the district’s internal network — can handle the 1-to-1 student-to-device ratio.

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Still, Cox says, the district will have to invest another $1.5 million in the wireless mesh network to ensure the system is not bogged down by additional devices. Moody, who’s supported the iRock plan from day one, explains what is next.

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Under the plan released Monday, all students in grades K through 12 would use the tablet devices.