Smoking laptop burns student during MCAS testing at Massachusetts school
BOSTON – A sixth grade student at a Massachusetts school suffered burns when the laptop they were using began smoking during MCAS testing.
It happened Tuesday around 9:30 a.m. at Whitin Intermediate School in Uxbridge. Students in grades 4-7 attend the school.
School officials showed reporters the charred Acer Chromebook Tuesday afternoon. "It's scary. It's scary looking stuff," said Uxbridge Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Baldassarre.
The student suffered burns to his left hand.
"When I made contact, he did not have bandages on his hand. He had an ice pack on his hand and his mom was just preparing to take him for treatment," Dr. Baldassarre said.
Principal Leanne DeMarco said there was significant smoke from the laptop. As teachers moved students out of the library, the fire alarm went off and the whole school evacuated.
"The fire alarms were triggered by the smoke," DeMarco said.
MCAS ELA testing delayed
Students and staff were allowed back in the building by about 10:45 a.m., but MCAS English Language Arts (ELA) testing has been postponed until further notice for grades four through six. The district and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) are working to determine a plan to move forward with ELA testing.
Officials said they are working with the laptop supplier to determine that other devices are safe.
The school district purchased the Acer laptops at the beginning of this year.
"We did reach out to the company, and we did ask that they send a representative to the school to evaluate the laptops so that we can understand what caused this," Dr. Baldassarre said.
Students asked to turn laptops in
Students with the same school issued C734 Chromebook have been asked to power it down and bring it in with the power cord on Wednesday so it can be tested.
Acer is sending 450 Chromebooks to the district so that the MCAS tests can be administered for students in grades four through six. MCAS ELA testing must be completed by April 26, according to state education regulations.
Acer said a thorough safety evaluation will be conducted. The company said there are approximately 155,000 C734 Chromebooks being used across the country and this is the first incident of its type.
What is the MCAS exam?
The MCAS, which stands for Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, is described by the state as a test that helps teachers, parents and students "know where they are excelling and where they need help."
The Massachusetts Teachers Association is leading a ballot question that would eliminate the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement. The union said students should instead be judged on their performance in their classes.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey opposes the measure.
