In his own self-assessment, Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Adam Swinyard gave his district a failing grade for how they’ve handled a new policy for issuing school laptops.

“We gave it a 4 out of 10,” Swinyard told the school board at a recent meeting. “We’re used to 9s and 10s, so we don’t love that.”

In a bid to save money, the district this year is pivoting from a COVID-era practice in which every high school student automatically received a laptop to use at home and at school. Instead, the district planned to supply classrooms with computers to use during class. Students who needed a laptop for homework, according to the plan, could receive one upon request.

That’s not quite how it panned out for students in the first weeks of the school year.

“There’s some time associated

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