How Can LAUSD Students Borrow A Laptop For The Coronavirus Shutdown? We Have An Answer

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:

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.

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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