DECATUR, Ala. — The Decatur school district is asking parents, students, and staff to stop using generic or unbranded USB-C power cords used for charging devices after a recent electrical short involving the cable at one of their schools.
As the district said in a statement issued to families Monday, USB-C cords power a number of student and staff-issued devices.
The type of power cord affected is solid black and unbranded. The district stressed this means the cable features no labels like Dell, Lenovo, Apple, Amazon Basics, etc.
The Decatur City Schools technology department is working immediately to replace the non-branded USB-C power cords with new, branded supplies. Technology Coordinator Bryan Keenum says the district is being proactive.
Keenum is asking anyone in the Decatur City School system with an unbranded USB-C power cable to return it to the student or staff member's school library for a replacement.
As How-To Geek explains, USB-C connectors are used in many devices, from phones and laptops to accessories. They warn that an improperly-designed cable can damage hardware. They explain that "the problem, specifically, is that many cables aren't compliant with USB-C specifications and have a bad resistor (speed) value."
The website suggests that before you purchase a USB-C cable or power supply, ensure it's compliant. .
You can visit this website for a list of known USB-C compliant cabling equipment.