French Camp Elementary School and Manteca High School will be the first in the district to receive the new Panasonic computers to officially launch Manteca Unified’s history-making Going Digital program.

The selection of the two campuses is no accident. It’s for a significant reason. They are getting this special honor for being the oldest schools in the district, said Superintendent Jason Messer when interviewed after Tuesday’s Board of Trustees study session. French Camp School is the oldest of all elementary campuses in the district currently in operation, with Manteca High in that same category among the district’s secondary schools.

The campus at French Camp School, however, will be the distribution site where the dignitaries from the district such as the superintendent will be in attendance for the benefit of the news media.

Distribution of the computers at French Camp and Manteca High will take place on the same day. The specific date and time for that is still being determined; however, it will be sometime next week. A press release with all those pertinent information for dissemination to all news media is currently being prepared by district public information officer Victoria Brunn, Messer said.

Under the Going Digital program, each student in the district from kindergarten to 12th grade in high school will receive a Panasonic 3E computer, not just those from third grade and up as previously reported. Students from kindergarten to third grade will also be given computers; however, they will not be able to bring those devices home, clarified Messer.

The small and very light but proven durable computers are specifically built as an education device and are not available on the retail market. But parents have the opportunity to purchase them by signing a four-year lease/purchase agreement with the school district. At the end of that period, they will be able to buy the computer outright.

Distribution of the computers to students in the rest of the schools will take place immediately after the official event at French Camp School and Manteca High.

Going Digital is a $30 million project of the school district.