LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Jefferson County Public Schools is extending its deadline to allow requests for Chromebooks from families of students with special needs and those who receive free or reduced-price meals as Kentucky’s largest school district prepares to begin its non-traditional instruction program next week.
As of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the district fielded 11,215 requests from households for Chromebooks, according to spokesman Mark Hebert. Families had until 5 p.m. Tuesday to claim a Chromebook, but they’ll now have until 5 p.m. Thursday to claim one of the 25,000 Chromebooks being offered, according to a letter sent to JCPS families.
By the end of Tuesday, the number of households requesting Chromebooks totaled about 13,200, Hebert said.
Eligible familes can called the district at 313-HELP to request a Chromebook.
"Lines have been jammed the past two days so we respectfully request that families who don’t fall into one of those two categories refrain from calling," Hebert said in an email.
The district is making Chromebooks available to those who lack such technology at home ahead of the April 7 start of its remote learning program as school districts throughout Kentucky remain closed until at least April 20.
Kevin Brown, the state’s interim education commissioner, has told districts to prepare enough remote learning materials to last through May 1.
Kermit Belcher, the district’s chief information officer, said during a news conference Friday, “It is our mission to make sure students who may be in need have access to the device first.”
JCPS officials have said if not all Chromebooks are claimed, they’ll be offered to other district households through a lottery system.
The district reached out to families and directed them to either request a Chromebook online or by phone.
On Tuesday, JCPS urged families on social media that if they can’t connect with someone by phone to call back later in the day.
☎️ If you're trying to call in to request a Chromebook, please know we are starting to see a high volume of calls again. We thank you for your patience & encourage you to call back later today if you can't get through right now. #WeAreJCPSAtHome
— JCPS (@JCPSKY) March 31, 2020
Much of the district’s non-traditional instruction material will be available online, making technology and internet access a premium for getting the most out of the virtual lessons. Physical copies of the material will also be available through the district’s emergency feeding sites.
Some worry the lack of connectivity will negatively affect students who don’t have internet at home.
Many rely on cell phones and data plans to connect to the internet at home. Amber Ladd, the family resource coordinator at Mill Creek Elementary, estimated that up to 70% of the families she serves lack internet at home.
“Many of them have cell phone data as their primary source, and we all know that if a parent is gone at work or if they have to go out with that cell phone or there’s a limited data usage with their contract plan, that may not be feasible,” Ladd told WDRB News last week.
Spectrum has extended its offer to connect K-12 and college households to wireless internet for free for 60 days to include teachers as well.
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