LAUSD seeks multimillion-dollar refund from Apple for scrapped iPad in education program
After officially scrapping a $1.3 billion educational technology initiative based on Apple's iPad, the Los Angeles Unified School District is reportedly demanding the company either return millions of dollars or face a lawsuit.
According to local radio station KPCC, LAUSD informed Apple that it will no longer put money toward course material provided by content partner Pearson, saying the district was "extremely dissatisfied" with the software implementation. Educators complained that Pearson's software was half-baked, contained errors and lacked lessons and promised interactive material.
"While Apple and Pearson promised a state-of-the-art technological solution for ITI implementation, they have yet to deliver it," LAUSD attorney David Holmquist wrote in a letter to Apple's general counsel. "As we approach the end of the school year, the vast majority of students are still unable to access the Pearson curriculum on iPads."
LAUSD rolled out the first phase of its now defunct Instructional Technology Initiative, also known as "iPad-for-all," in 2013 with a $30 million agreement to supply iPads to 47 seed campuses. ITI would become an ambitious $1.3 billion project hoping to provide similar technology to more than 640,000 students.
The district officially killed the initiative in December after a tumultuous start involving mismanagement and shady funding plans by former schools Superintendent John Deasy. Critics took issue with the bidding process, saying Apple and Pearson had an unfair advantage in winning the lucrative contract, claims currently at the center of an ongoing FBI investigation. Deasy ultimately resigned in October of 2014.
Teachers also faced problems implementing iPads into their curriculum, including a security breach in which students discovered they could bypass school-imposed content filters. Administrators last year opened the program up to other platforms, including Google's Chromebook and Microsoft's Surface.
According to local radio station KPCC, LAUSD informed Apple that it will no longer put money toward course material provided by content partner Pearson, saying the district was "extremely dissatisfied" with the software implementation. Educators complained that Pearson's software was half-baked, contained errors and lacked lessons and promised interactive material.
"While Apple and Pearson promised a state-of-the-art technological solution for ITI implementation, they have yet to deliver it," LAUSD attorney David Holmquist wrote in a letter to Apple's general counsel. "As we approach the end of the school year, the vast majority of students are still unable to access the Pearson curriculum on iPads."
LAUSD rolled out the first phase of its now defunct Instructional Technology Initiative, also known as "iPad-for-all," in 2013 with a $30 million agreement to supply iPads to 47 seed campuses. ITI would become an ambitious $1.3 billion project hoping to provide similar technology to more than 640,000 students.
The district officially killed the initiative in December after a tumultuous start involving mismanagement and shady funding plans by former schools Superintendent John Deasy. Critics took issue with the bidding process, saying Apple and Pearson had an unfair advantage in winning the lucrative contract, claims currently at the center of an ongoing FBI investigation. Deasy ultimately resigned in October of 2014.
Teachers also faced problems implementing iPads into their curriculum, including a security breach in which students discovered they could bypass school-imposed content filters. Administrators last year opened the program up to other platforms, including Google's Chromebook and Microsoft's Surface.
Comments
Look, Pearson Education is a garbage company, with garbage products. This is widely known.
Why is this Apple's fault?
What a freaking mess. And now they want Apple to foot the bill caused by their incompetence...
Weren't they the ones that screwed this deal up in the first place? Why is Apple to blame?
I can understand why a project may choose iPad or Surface at the start (although iPad was really the only viable choice back then.) I can't fathom a reason to switch half way through an implementation *after* the seeding program's successful result; And if it wasn't so successful, why the enhanced roll out? Why is it that other schools(and universities) iPad programs work fine and this one doesn't?
I definitely don't see a legitimate reason why a large scale roll out of chromebooks would take place with persons under the age of legal consent. The device's relatively high cost of ownership, heavy reliance on data, keeping personal data and documents away from the user, the small number of apps/difficulty in development and platform immaturity (not to mention regular, slowly patched, security issues.)
SOMEHOW, I doubt this is Apple's fault. Are the iPads functioning properly? Did Apple deliver the correct product? Yes and yes. How the hell is whatever educational package the school decided to go with, Apple's fault? The incompetence of LAUSD and/or Pearson has no bearing on Apple. Apple fulfilled its end of the deal, and they should not give out a refund.
I do not expect Apple to foot the entire bill.
And I do not expect Apple to work with Pearsons again....
This is exactly why only government contractors, like Lockheed Martin and Halliburton, will do business with governments, and why they charge significant amounts for it. Media and especially liberal politicians will make claims, but the smart businessperson knows that's a fair rate to deal with government crap.
I bet in the future, Apple will tell school districts to deal with a channel partner and pay their markup.
Ok that last part I made up.
Apple has a gazillion dollars — the schools need the money — they had better do the right thing and refund the money. Really bad publicity if they do not. Why had it even come to a lawsuit?
This is just another example of school management putting the blame on someone else to cover up their own incompetency. Of course, it's NEVER their fault, so surely, lets point the finger at someone else so we don't look stupid.
I hope Apple doesn't give in. If anyone needs to be fired, it's those clowns that made the deal in the first place. How many stories have there been about iPads being given to teachers, without them, or sysAdmins having a clue how to administer/operate them in a classroom environment? Is that Apple's fault? no.
Because Surface and Windows have unhackable content controls. /s