Keeping tabs on Chromebooks: Montgomery County schools get notice it needs improvement

From the classroom to your child s backpack Chromebooks have become a ubiquitous instructional tool in Montgomery County Inhabitants Schools But according to the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General the school system s method of keeping tabs on the Chromebooks requirements improvement The -page summary from the OIG exposed that inventory records related to Chromebooks were often not accurate and numerous devices could not be located The description also commented the school system only requires inventory of Chromebooks once per year at the end of the school year and schools are not required to count Chromebooks that are actively assigned to students The lack of timely and accurate inventory controls the account revealed means that the school system is missing opportunities to timely identify vulnerabilities in the process that may lead to fraud waste and abuse The Montgomery County school system has an enrollment of students and introduced Chromebooks into schools in In fiscal year the school system spent over million on new Chromebooks According to the statement each Chromebook arrives from the vendor to MCPS with a barcode or asset tag attached Once they arrive at schools information system aid specialists or other school staff members are responsible for safeguarding assigning and maintaining the devices In the checks performed at nine schools three elementary schools three middle schools and three high schools the OIG analysis unveiled certain devices without any tag or serial number making them hard to identify and track In examining and verifying random samples of Chromebooks in school stockrooms the OIG record stated We were hamstrung by the differing school-level inventory practices which varied by location Superintendent Thomas Taylor s response included in the OIG summary concurred with the findings and noted that the reconciliation of our Chromebook inventory has been an ongoing task for our staff in the Division of Tool Services since students and their Chromebooks returned to our schools for in-person instruction in September According to Taylor the school system will develop a comprehensive inventory for record keeping and review by October A plan to develop and distribute clear guidance on the care and use of Chromebooks by students and staff will be in place by September and updated regulations on staff accountability for inventory inconsistencies are expected by June The OIG s review was carried out between October and February Source