Balto. Co. Public Schools offer Microsoft 365 FREE to students and their families

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According to the Baltimore County Public Schools website, BCPS students and their families can now access, free of charge, up to five copies of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus suite for their personal computers, laptops, and mobile devices. This benefit is worth up to $11 million, annually, and teachers and staff are offered the same access, worth up to $1.6 million, annually. 

The program supports the BCPS 1:1 digital conversion initiative known as S.T.A.T. (Students and Teachers Accessing Tomorrow) and is included in the Microsoft agreement so there is no cost to BCPS. The Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus suite contains all the usual Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher tools. Proficiency in these programs are usually included in the most commonly required skills for employers nationwide. To add to this benefit, BCPS is also offering free, secure, and unlimited private storage, as well. The online storage capabilities can be used anytime from anywhere.

To access the Office 365 benefit: (From the BCPS website):

BCPS students and staff should go to www.bcps.org/Office365  and log in using their full BCPS username (including @bcps.org) and password. Students who do not know their BCPS usernames are asked to contact their school’s technology liaison for assistance. On the Installation page, make sure the language is set to “English (United States)” and then click install. Users should not change the default option of the Office 365 32-bit version.

BCPS students and staff who encounter any problems installing the software, or who would like instructions for installing Office 365 on Apple or mobile devices, should click the “Troubleshoot Installation” link on the main installation page.