The following article was published as a part of The Seminole’s 2014 April Fool’s issue! The information, quotations, and other content is completely fictitious and should not be considered a true representation of the school, the administration, or other governing entities.
Beginning on April 28, SHS will issue a policy requiring all students to pay for their use of school Wi-Fi on mobile devices. Administration states that this policy was needed as the school is trying to cut back on unnecessary costs in order to provide more funds to the arts.
The policy requires that all students are charged a dollar for every 10 minutes that they spend using the school Wi-Fi. The school will keep track of each student’s usage through the Wi-Fi settings and students will have to pay their charge in the media center by the end of each quarter. Technology Facilitator Mrs. Patti Boggs said, “From what I know, this is kind of a trial session so that students can transition into this for the next school year.”
If students fail to pay, the charge will be added to their senior debts. There will be no escaping the fines as they will follow students to their senior year, and if the students still do not pay, they will be denied their right to purchase a prom ticket and possibly to walk at graduation.
“It may seem harsh,” said science teacher Mr. Carl Reuphen, “but it was necessary that our school cut back on unneeded costs such as Wi-Fi. The increase in funds will contribute to more supplies and necessary expenses for our various programs.”
The money collected from Wi-Fi charges will cover for snow cone machines for sports teams that are practicing in the heat, new grass for the courtyard, and a whole new set of laminated posters for every classroom with ‘Nole Nation rules and ethical practices and conduct appropriate for the classroom.
Junior Lexa Caslon said, “I think it’s really silly how the school is charging for Wi-Fi. Some students use Wi-Fi for educational purposes, like looking up something when a computer isn’t available.” Similar students’ protests have been ignored, as the school administration insists that this will be the most effective measure to keep students off their phones while getting money to put towards necessary school improvements.
The trial session will give administration an idea of how the system will work. Full implementation will take place the first day of school.