Students across the Dufferin‑Peel Catholic District School Board say they are struggling to complete digital classwork after access to school‑provided Chromebooks was sharply reduced following the board’s move into provincial supervision.
Before the province assumed control, teachers typically kept a small set of Chromebooks in their classrooms for students who needed them. When those devices were removed, schools shifted to a library‑checkout model. But new rules introduced under provincial supervision required the Chromebooks to remain inside the library at all times, effectively preventing students from using them for in‑class assignments, group work, or any activity that required mobility.
The result, students say, is a system where technology exists but can’t be used in any meaningful way.
With classroom access gone and library devices restricted, many students have been told they must bring their own Chromebooks from home if they want to participate fully in digital learning. Families who can afford it have purchased devices; those who cannot are left without options.
Parents and students say the policy shift has created a two‑tiered learning environment. Some students now carry their personal Chromebooks back and forth each day, adding weight to already heavy backpacks filled with textbooks, binders, and supplies. Others simply go without, relying on whatever limited time they can get on a library computer that cannot leave the room.
Teachers, who once had the flexibility to integrate digital tools into lessons, now report that they cannot reliably plan Chromebook‑based activities because they cannot assume students will have access to a device.
The board has not publicly detailed why the restrictions were introduced, but educators say the change coincided with the province’s takeover, which removed decision‑making authority from trustees and principals. Since then, schools have been required to follow centrally imposed rules that staff say are often unclear and difficult to work around.
For students, the impact is immediate. “We’re expected to do online assignments, but we’re not given the tools to do them,” one student said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
