Members of the Mars Area school board are used to hearing about how district students are using technology. But during their agenda meeting Tuesday, they got to see the technology in action.

Mark Sylvia, of Butler, sales consultant for Logical Choice Technologies, a Georgia-based company, demonstrated accessories that can be used with the district's Promethean interactive white boards.

The district has white boards in more than 30 classrooms in every school building and the library at the Primary Center, which houses kindergarten and first grade. The boards look like a typical dry-erase board, but a projector allows computer programs and Internet content to be seen on the board. A special stylus allows the teacher or students to open programs and do other functions right on the board.

The district will purchase more interactive boards and laptop computers through a $160,957 grant under the state's Classrooms for the Future program.

Superintendent William Pettigrew is proposing that the district spend $53,928 of its own money to buy accessories that are not included under the grant program and another $9,280 for installation.

Dr. Pettigrew wants to buy 16 audio systems for $11,000, 16 ActivSlates for $5,120 and 16 sets of Active Expressions for $37,808.

Mr. Sylvia said the tabletop speakers included with the white boards are not very powerful. Multimedia sound systems are already used with the other boards in the district.

"If you're going to have a 21st century classroom and you're going to be providing multimedia content, your students need to hear it," he said. "It makes a huge difference."

ActivSlates are clipboard-like wireless devices that allow the teacher to control the computer while walking around the room. The slates also are helpful for students who are too shy to walk to the front of the room and for physically disabled students, he said.

Active Expressions are remotes that allow students to answer questions from their desks. Their answers are tabulated electronically and shown on the board. Two sets of remotes are being used in Mars Area Centennial School.

As a demonstration, Mr. Sylvia gave the remotes to teams of two board members and administrators and had them answer a series of questions on the screen, such as putting the layers of the Earth in the right order. The computer tabulated their answers and response times, leading to a burst of competitiveness with teams boasting of their fast response time or correct answers.

The board may vote on the purchases on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, the board may vote to post a policy requiring parent chaperones and volunteers to pass criminal background checks, but some board members expressed concern about the policy.

"I understand the point of it, but I don't think the language mirrors what we want," said board member J. Dayle Ferguson. Board member Bonnie Weaver said the policy needed to be "tweaked."

Dr. Pettigrew said building principals oppose the policy, calling it "very burdensome" and "very cumbersome."

The board on Tuesday unanimously gave Dr. Pettigrew permission to explore oil and gas leases on district property.

"It could prove to be very economical for the school district," he said.