Rifah Mirza

The burnt and melted charger serves as a reminder to students to check for any exposed wires or worn down plastic in their district-provided technology. However, the exact and direct cause of the fire is unclear. “We can’t really tell [the cause] because the charger’s all burnt up, so we can’t even tell what the charger looked like before,” Instructional Technology Specialist Mr. Mike Bergeron said.

During a typical school day flex, a Chromebook charger suddenly caught aflame on Wednesday, Sept. 25 in Health Science Teacher Ms. Rachel Vivian’s room. Despite the ensuing chaos that erupted in the class, Ms. Vivian was able to respond accordingly and fast to counter the issue before it became a campus-wide emergency. 

“There was a slight panic,” Ms. Vivian said. “Initially I was on the opposite side of the room, and I saw the sparks, and then immediately flames. You just never expect a fire to happen.”

Immediately taking action, Ms. Vivan first notified another teacher of the situation, removed students from the classroom, and alerted Principal Erin Campbell. Meanwhile, students were experiencing a flurry of emotions and events; although they initially felt panicked and stressed, students quickly became relieved after the situation came into control.

“We freaked out because it wasn’t a normal thing that happened,” Albert Tomy ‘25 said. “As soon as she saw the fire she went straight to the help button, [and] she told everyone to calm down. She [was able to] take [the situation] under control.”

The worn-down Chromebooks and chargers, bought during the COVID-19 pandemic, are nearly five years old, and have been raising concerns regarding general safety.

“I’d recommend for everyone to check their chargers for any exposed wires,” Instructional Technology Specialist Mr. Mike Bergeron said.  “Especially now that they’re getting old, because we [are starting to] see [broken chargers] all the time.” 

Eligible students and Round Rock ISD members are prompted to support and vote in favor of Proposition B, a bond project in the upcoming RRISD November election, that will allow for new and replaced instructional technology. To learn more about the cause, visit https://bond.roundrockisd.org/.