Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff,
This afternoon at C.W. Baker High School smoke was reported in a computer classroom. We activated the fire alarm system and the building was evacuated. This occurred at 2:18 PM just prior to normal dismissal. It has been determined that the smoke was caused by a student allegedly tampering with a school-issued Chromebook. The Baldwinsville Police Department and district officials continue to investigate the incident.
At this time, we are determining if the student was taking part in the “Chromebook Challenge,” which encourages students to insert lead or metal items into the USB port of their Chromebook forcing an electrical short circuit. On Friday afternoon we sent a message to families encouraging parents and guardians to talk to their children about this dangerous challenge. The communication is pasted below.
No students or staff were injured during the fire alarm evacuation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the North West Fire District and the Baldwinsville Police Department for their assistance this afternoon.
If the investigation finds that the student intentionally damaged the school-issued device, we will be enforcing the district’s Code of Conduct and working with law enforcement to pursue criminal charges as deemed appropriate.
This is the message we sent out to parents and guardians on Friday, May 9th:
I’m writing to you this afternoon to make you aware of a social media trend known as the “Chromebook Trend” or “Chromebook Challenge” that encourages students to insert lead or metal items into the USB port of their Chromebook forcing an electrical short circuit. This action is extremely dangerous because it can result in the failure of the lithium-ion battery in the device, posing a serious fire risk and production of large quantities of toxic and flammable vapor.
The New York State Homeland Security and Emergency Services has asked school districts to notify all parents and guardians of this dangerous trend. The lithium-ion batteries in the Chromebook can go into thermal runaway causing the release of flammable and toxic vapors. These vapors can ignite causing fires and explosions.
Several incidents have been reported within schools across the state. We would like to remind parents/guardians that we will be enforcing the Code of Conduct for Computer Abuse along with billing families for the cost of the device.
Please talk to your children about the danger of this trend and ask them not to participate.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. Again, thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigated today’s events.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joseph M. DeBarbieri
Superintendent of Schools
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