Register
On Nov. 16, Hall High School, located in Little Rock, Arkansas, was the victim of yet another burglary involving iPads used for at the school for educational purposes, CBS affiliate KTHV reported.
Just 11 months ago, a cart of 25 iPads were stolen from the high school. The school is sad to report that thieves broken into a classroom through an outside window and took 24 more iPads. According to the source, the total cost of lost property was around $13,000.
Hall High School officials are asking the public to help by giving any information that could be useful in catching the thieves, the source reported. Lt. Sidney Allen, spokesperson for the Little Rock Police Department, explained the school district and the police are still waiting for more information about the incident.
"Right now, we're waiting on the school district to see if there's any video that provides any evidentiary value," said Allen, according to KTHV. "It doesn't matter where you steal from, it's against the law, and if we catch you, we're going to prosecute."
Incidents are not yet linked
The school said the same exact cart of iPads was stolen in both incidents, and no arrests have been made for either burglary. According to NBC affiliate KARK, the thieves would have stolen 25 iPads again in the most recent burglary, but one device was dropped and left behind.
The police department still isn't sure if both cases are linked, but with the latest theft, the burglars will not be able to do much with the stolen property.
"If the person tries to use this particular device, Apple will disable it," said Pamela Smith, a spokeswoman for the Little Rock School District, according to the source.
Minnesota schools warn thieves against stealing iPads
In a similar incident in Minnesota, Saint Paul Public Schools warned criminals about stealing their iPads used at the schools for educational purposes. According to the Star Tribune, there are roughly 2,400 students within the four schools in the district. The majority of them have been issued iPads, and the roughly 1,900 teachers and principals within the school district have a device as well.
The school said the iPads turn useless when they are stolen since the devices' data can be immediately wiped clean remotely. Additionally, the devices cannot be used without the correct username and password, which also is nearly impossible to reset to get on the device, Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported.
The district is making an effort educate everyone in the neighborhoods that stealing these devices is pointless. Also, the school's main priority is to keep students safe because kids in sixth through 12th grade are allowed to take the devices home.
"We want to protect the devices," said Kate Wilcox-Harris, assistant superintendent for personalize learning, according to the source. "We want students to be safe, too."
Awareness program working
Since the school continuously warned criminals about the valueless of the students' iPads, only three devices have gone missing, and none have been stolen, Pioneer Press reported.
Luckily, all of the iPads stolen from Hall High School in Arkansas were insured.
Many schools opt out of insurance programs to save money on their device integration plans. However, personal insurance for school computers can protect the devices in the instance they are stolen or if students damage or lose the devices. Having these expensive educational tools insured should be the priority for all school districts with tablet or laptop programs.