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Knox Co. Schools families lost five times as many Chromebooks as Nashville public schools

Of the 53,000 devices issued in Knox County, 624 were reported lost, missing or stolen, the district said.

KNOX COUNTY, Tennessee — Knox County Schools reported more than 600 of its Chromebooks were reported lost, missing or stolen this year—a fraction of the 53,000 issued, but five times more than the number missing from Metro Nashville Public Schools. 

Over the course of the school year, Knox County supplied 53,387 Chromebooks to families as part of its one-to-one device initiative. 

On Thursday, school district spokesperson Carly Harrington said 5,938 were still signed out for AP tests or summer programming.

But 624 Chromebooks were reported lost, missing or stolen, which Harrington said was below the expected replacement rate of 2 percent. 

An investigation by 10News sister station WSMV revealed the Metro Nashville Public School district issued more than 60 thousand laptops, but only had 124 reported stolen. 

Per KCS policy, families are required to report devices that are lost or stolen outside of school buildings to local law enforcement. But the Knox County Sheriff's Office said it received only seven reports this school year. 

The Knoxville Police Department said its system made it difficult to isolate KCS Chromebook reports, but provided four examples of stolen school laptops reported to the department. 

Harrington said no family has been fined for outstanding units yet, but that physical inventory was still underway. The school website said a total loss of equipment would result in a $200 fine. 

If families still have a KCS-issued Chromebook, Harrington said they should contact their school principal or call the district's online support helpdesk at 865-549-8410.

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