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How Can LAUSD Students Borrow A Laptop For The Coronavirus Shutdown? We Have An Answer
LAUSD has established a hotline for parents to secure laptops for their kids.
Los Angeles Unified school leaders have promised a laptop or tablet computer to every student in the district who needs one to continue learning during the coronavirus shutdown.
The district is spending $100 million to purchase new laptops and Verizon internet hotspots to ensure no student misses out on online lessons.
But since LAUSD made that pledge, the most frequent question I’ve heard — on Twitter, via email, or through my Hearken question box — is this: How do I actually obtain this device for my kid?
Last night, LAUSD administrators offered a short version of the answer. From my tweet:
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It sounds like schools are contacting students to distribute devices — but if parents want to request a device, @AlisonLASchools says they can contact the district's hotline to get a request routed to their school:
— Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) March 31, 2020
☎️ (213) 443-1300
Schools are receiving their devices in waves.
LAUSD’s priority is getting laptops to high school students first. During a virtual town hall meeting, LAUSD’s Chief Academic Officer Alison Yoshimoto-Towery said that the central office finished distributing devices to its high schools on Monday.
Now it’s up to the schools to give them out over the next week. What that distribution looks like will vary.
For example, Michael Romero — the administrator for Local District South, a region of LAUSD stretching from Florence-Firestone to San Pedro — chimed in to say that all middle- and high schoolers in his area should receive a device by Wednesday.
By Friday, LD South elementary schools will have loaned out all of the devices they have already, Romero said. (It sounded as though the district will have to purchase more devices to ensure every student has one.)
And across the district, Yoshimoto-Towery added that elementary schools will mail more paper-and-pencil assignments to students over spring break.
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P.S. — Long Beach Unified has also been distributing Chromebooks to its students over the past week, and encourages any students in that district who still need to borrow one to make appointments with their school.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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