Damaged, Lost, or Stolen Equipment

School Staff, Student, and Classroom Replacement Technology

Effective: October 2014
Updated: August 17, 2018
Version: 5.1.0

Overview
The purpose of this policy is to outline how the Office of Technology & Information Services (OTIS) Department processes lost, stolen, or accidentally damaged equipment, including (1) school employees, classroom, student, and lab technology; (2) grant-funded and general-funded purchases; (3) loaner equipment availability; and (4) permanent replacement strategies in collaboration with Finance and Risk Management Departments.

Funding
The process outlined in this document is subject to the availability of District funding. The OTIS Department did not receive a theft/loss replacement budget allocation for the 2018-19 school year, and limited Risk Management budget is available.

Theft, Loss, Damage Reporting
School staff are to report theft, loss, or damage for all OTIS-supported technology equipment that was purchased, received via donation, or otherwise obtained by submitting a Property Damage or Theft Loss Report as soon as possible after the event occurs. The process outlined in this policy begins once the Property Damage or Theft Loss Report has been completed.  Any asset that is reported as stolen will also require a police report, and is then evaluated by the Risk Management Department.

Covered Equipment
Devices covered by this policy include computing resources at school sites that are tagged and recorded as an asset by the Portland Public Schools OTIS Department that, at the time of loss, fall within the district's asset management lifecycle. Equipment repair or disposition will be evaluated based on the technology standard identified by the School Technology Equipment Bands.  

• This policy does not cover regular wear and tear of devices. Regular wear and tear of technology should be reported to the OTIS Service Desk by submitting a self-service ticket at https://support.pps.net.
  
  
• Technology equipment that is supported by OTIS (with an OTIS asset tag) and is under warranty will be submitted to the manufacturer for warranty support.  The cost of parts repair or replacement for devices which are not covered by OEM ( Original Equipment Manufacturer) warranty will need to be covered by the school or department.  The OTIS Department will continue to provide labor for repairs at this time.
  
  
• All PPS employees and students are expected to protect and secure district assigned technology.
  Situations that constitute willful negligence towards securing of equipment, or the purposeful destruction or disassembly of equipment such as classroom technology bundles, mobile device carts and locking systems, or unauthorized repair, may result in student or staff disciplinary action. Schools with frequent reports of theft/loss/damage may be subject to additional accountability review.
  

NOTE: This policy does not cover theft of information. If you believe there was an information breach, please fill out the Property Damage or Theft Loss Report and Risk Management will follow the established protocol.

Technology Equipment Replacement
Once employees submit a Property Damage or Theft Loss Report, the following replacement processes apply according to the funding source and whether the equipment is assigned to staff, classroom, or student.

• Grant Funds
  Grant funded devices that are accidentally damaged, lost, or stolen must be replaced by the Grant funds. If no Grant funds are available, the school or department must determine how to provide the employee, classroom, lab, or student equipment needed. When submitting a grant for technology, grant writers should take into account that a percentage of devices get damaged, lost, or stolen and build a contingency into the grant to replace such devices (usually 10% is sufficient).
  
  
• General Funds, Capital Project, Student Body Funds, Donations
  Equipment purchased through General Fund, capital project, student body funds, or donated, are covered by the following.
  
  
  • School Employee Devices (staff laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, etc...)
    Every effort will be made to provide a loaner device to the employee as soon as possible, within seven school days. This loaner device may be kept for up to 60 days or until the original device is recovered, whichever occurs first. 
    • If the original device is not recovered or is not in working condition within 60 days, a replacement solution will be made available. 
    • If the device is recovered and in working condition after 60 days, the device will be used as a loaner for future theft/loss replacements or will be redistributed to a school with the greatest need. The user will keep the replacement solution provided.
      
      
  • Classroom and Lab Devices (mobile labs, wired labs, Chromebooks, tablets, etc...)
    If more than three devices are damaged, lost, or stolen, for example, if an entire mobile lab is missing, IT may not be able to provide the same number of loaners and will work with the school to assist in developing a replacement plan.
    
    
  • Student Devices
    Student assigned technology provided by the district from these funding sources, whether in a take-home or in-classroom assignment, shall be replaced with an equivalent device from a pool of central office loaner devices within three school days of loss. This loaner device may be kept for up to 60 days or until the original device is recovered, whichever occurs first. If the original device is not recovered or is not in working condition within 60 days, the loaner device may be assigned to the student.
    
    

Resources
Property Damage or Theft Loss Report: https://www.pps.net/Page/2710
Risk Management Website: https://www.pps.net/risk-management  
School Technology Equipment Bands: https://www.pps.net/Page/654