Even if that were technically feasible from an interoperability perspective (which in many cases it is not, due to them using proprietary software) a parent putting Linux on it would certainly violate the acceptable use policy when the school inevitably finds out. Consequences from there will vary dramatically, but none are likely to be desirable outcomes. At the very least, they’d probably tell you to either restore the device, or pay for the cost of having their person do it.
Parents don’t generally own these devices and are not going to be legally authorized to install software on them, generally. In the US, for example, unauthorized access along with “damaging” the device by removing the OS could very well be a crime (or several.) I doubt it would be prosecuted, but I personally don’t have money to burn on lawyers.
edit: to be clear, where I live, these systems are typically owned either by the school system, or by a third party leasing agent.
I can tell you’re not a parent. School systems choose these things without consulting us. Parents don’t have much say in it. There isnt an opt-out.
So by your statement, because I can’t afford to send my kid to private school, I must not be a caring parent.
That’s also assuming the private schools are any different too, and as if Windows is some holy grail of privacy instead.
Then please, buy them a normal computer, even used, to play with at least 🙏.
What about parents who can’t afford it?
What if the parent decided to put Linux on it? Is there any reason why a student can’t just use a web browser to access everything?
Even if that were technically feasible from an interoperability perspective (which in many cases it is not, due to them using proprietary software) a parent putting Linux on it would certainly violate the acceptable use policy when the school inevitably finds out. Consequences from there will vary dramatically, but none are likely to be desirable outcomes. At the very least, they’d probably tell you to either restore the device, or pay for the cost of having their person do it.
Parents don’t generally own these devices and are not going to be legally authorized to install software on them, generally. In the US, for example, unauthorized access along with “damaging” the device by removing the OS could very well be a crime (or several.) I doubt it would be prosecuted, but I personally don’t have money to burn on lawyers.
edit: to be clear, where I live, these systems are typically owned either by the school system, or by a third party leasing agent.
Is there any kind of fee that the parent has to pay for the student to use the laptop?
I thought how it worked was the school told the parents what laptop to buy and then the parents would have to buy it.
What if the parent decided to buy their kid a laptop instead of using the school-provided one?
Yes, because the schools own and manage the hardware they loan out.
Ah. I thought the parents pay for the computers themselves.
What if the parents bought a laptop and refused the school-provided one?
I suppose it depends on the school, I’m sure they all have different policies depending on their IT department.