Background

For educational institutions, managing student devices efficiently is a significant challenge. Between students forgetting Chromebooks at home, laborious workflows and the need for secure and organized charging solutions, technology teams often find themselves stretched thin and overwhelmed.

Challenge

Poly Prep in Brooklyn, NY, faced all of these issues firsthand. With its 1,160 students across two campuses, the school operates a 1:1 take-home Chromebook program for middle schoolers and a bring your own device (BYOD) model for upper school students.

Poly Prep’s tech team, led by Charles Polizano, Head of Technology, was experiencing recurring inefficiencies. Each morning a handful of students would arrive without their devices, requiring them to go through a cumbersome process, involving their Deans and a member of the tech team, to receive a loaner device.

Tracking borrowed devices and ensuring their return proved difficult, often resulting in missing Chromebooks and increased administrative work. Additionally, their unsecured charging stations in the student center had turned into an unsightly collection of chargers, cables, and clutter.

Solution

Charles knew there had to be a better way. After researching secure device management solutions, Poly Prep adopted the FUYL Smart Locker System. It integrated seamlessly with their existing ticketing system platform.

With the FUYL Tower positioned closer to classrooms, students could now retrieve a device without the need to trek down to the IT desk in the basement. While the FUYL Advanced system streamlined their loaning process, it still required manual intervention from the tech team – a limited resource.

The real game-changer came when Poly Prep implemented the FUYL Smart Locker System – Enhanced, which introduced seamless barcode scanning and automated loaner tracking.With the Enhanced system, students simply scan their student ID QR code, and an available bay opens automatically for them to retrieve or return a device. The Deans remain involved in the process but no longer need to manually notify the tech team, reducing lost class time and their workload.

Results

The impact of the FUYL Smart Locker System – Enhanced was immediate and significant:

• Time savings for the tech team: The morning rush no longer requires tech staff to manually issue devices.
• Improved accountability: Real-time notifications alert the tech team and Deans if a device isn’t returned, eliminating the need to manually track missing Chromebooks.
• Better decision making: Easy access to user histories and the whereabouts of devices helps the tech team efficiently manage and track hardware assets. This has not only saved time but has also helped the team evaluate and inform school-wide policy changes.
• A cleaner, more secure charging station: The student center no longer has an unorganized tangle of chargers, and students feel confident leaving their devices to charge securely.

The FUYL Smart Locker System is a catalyst for innovation in education technology. For Poly Prep, FUYL Enhanced has transformed the way they manage student devices. As Charles Polizano puts it:

“This was one of the few times where I said, ‘I’d love to see this, this, and this happen,’ and LocknCharge actually delivered on all of it. It has checked so many boxes for us.”

Looking ahead

With the success of the middle school loaner program, Poly Prep is now evaluating how to further enhance their device management system.

Potential plans include adding another FUYL Smart Locker to the student center for upper school students. They’re exploring ways to integrate the lockers with other school systems to streamline additional processes and using locker data to refine long-term technology planning and asset management.

By reducing administrative burden, improving efficiency, and enhancing security, the FUYL Smart Locker System has allowed Poly Prep’s tech team to focus on what’s next for the school and continue leading the way with innovative technology that empowers students and staff.