Bullshit. No school with the ability to install Linux on a computer would lack the ability to redeploy them, sell them on or donate them.
I remember working years ago with a guy who once told the most fucking tedious story about his trip to the post office. When he detected that noone gave even the most faint shit about his milquetoast existence he just blurted out "and then I stopped an armed robbery" and refused to elaborate. That last bit about the creek sound like that.
Although you do have a point, the school could as likely have contracted a third party to do the deployment, and cut ties fast as soon as things went awry. Then the last part seems reasonable, although embellished.