Deer Park Teacher Scores Free Laptops for Students

A science teacher at Deer Park High School used his social networking skills to score a dozen free laptops for his class

With budget season approaching, David Knuffke, who teaches A.P. biology, knew he would have to think outside of the box if he wanted to get technology in his classroom. So, he took his idea to the web.

Knuffke posted his proposal on DonorsChoose.org, a website where public school teachers can write requests and visitors to the site can then decide which projects they would like to fund.

Knuffke asked for a dozen Chromebooks at a cost of $99 each for his A.P. biology class. He then reached out to his social networks on Twitter and Facebook to get as many donations as possible. It worked.

"It rippled through all the various communities and they funded it. So it cost the district nothing, and we got the A.P. biology program 12 laptops," he said with enthusiasm at a board of education meeting Tuesday.

Superintendent Eva Demyen applauded Knuffke's efforts. "It's an amazing thing he did," she said.