Employee Laptop Computer Policy
Laptop Tips
Laptop Theft
Checkout Form
Last modified: July 20, 2006Chaminade College Preparatory is lending faculty members new, state-of-the-art laptop computers. These computers can be used inside and outside the school by our faculty in order to enhance, enrich and facilitate their teaching and administrative duties as well as school communications.
The school laptops are to be used for school related business as a productivity tool, curriculum enhancement tool, and for research and communications. Borrowers may use the laptops for personal purposes within the standards of good judgment and common sense.
All laptops are school property and are loaned to the faculty for a period of time as deemed necessary by the school’s administration.
All borrowers need to sign the Technology Checkout Form and agree to all outlined policies, before they are issued a school laptop computer.
Borrowers should NOT attempt to install software or hardware, or change any system configuration without prior consultation with MIS personnel.
Borrowers are expected to protect school laptops from damage and theft.
The borrower is monetarily responsible for any hardware or software damage inflicted to the laptop due to negligence on his/her part.
Borrowers are agreeing to pay replacement costs of lost school laptops and peripherals, or repair costs for damaged components and software installations, including labor costs billed at $60 per hour. Borrowers will not be held responsible for computer problems resulting from regular school related use.
The borrower agrees to refrain from attempting any network changes including operating system, registry settings, web browser configuration or printer.
All MIS policies as well as the Appropriate Use Policy apply to the use of all laptop computers inside and outside the school premises.
General Laptop Tips
If you have important data on the laptop, such as grades, tests or exams, it is required that you back them up on backup media or preferably on your network folder as a safety precaution against hard drive failure. The seconds that it takes to create a backup are well worth the frustration if/when your hard disk fails.
Your issued laptop carrying case is rated for a maximum load of 15 lbs. Your laptop weighs 7 lbs. Over packing the carrying case with books and other items can cause the handle to break, which in turn can cause damage to the laptop if dropped.
Since the laptop’s keyboard and touch pad are permanently attached to the rest of the system, make sure that your hands are clean before using them. It is costly to change a damaged laptop keyboard and/or touch pad due to excessive dirt.
Do not place drinks or food in close proximity to your laptop.
Extreme temperatures or sudden changes in temperature can damage a laptop. You should NOT leave the laptop in any unattended vehicle.
When using the laptop, keep it on a flat, solid surface so that air can circulate through it. Using the laptop while it is directly on a bed, for example can cause it to overheat and become damaged.
How to avoid Laptop Computer Theft
Due to their size and portability, laptop computers are especially vulnerable to theft. Below are some tips on how to protect your laptop from being stolen.
- Do not leave a laptop in an unlocked vehicle, even if the vehicle is in your driveway or garage, and never leave it in plain sight. If you must leave your laptop in a vehicle, the best place is in a locked trunk. If you do not have a trunk, cover it up and lock the doors.
- Be aware of the damage extreme temperature can cause to computers.
- Carry your laptop in a nondescript carrying case or bag when traveling.
- Do not leave a meeting or conference room without your laptop. Take it with you.
- Never check a laptop as luggage at the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a warning about an increasingly common scam—stealing laptops from the conveyor belts of metal detectors. Wait for those ahead of you to pass through the metal detector before placing your laptop on the belt. Another airport scam to be aware of—one person will engage you in conversation or bump into you and their partner in crime will steal your laptop while you are distracted. Be alert.
- Lock the laptop in your office or classroom during off-hours.
- If you do not have an office, then you may use a cable lock that wraps around a desk or chair leg. Or put the laptop in a locked closet or cabinet.
- Do not let unaccompanied strangers wander around in your workplace. Offer assistance and deliver the person to their destination.
If a theft does occur, you must report it to a police department promptly and notify Chaminade's MIS department. Borrowers should have the make, model and serial number available so police can file a complete report and enter the stolen laptop information immediately on the national crime information computer. Precaution and common sense goes a long way in controlling your theft exposure.
