TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Leon County Schools received confirmation Wednesday that they will have as many as 25,000 Chromebooks to provide to students to assist with in-class and remote learning.
The district promised to make a Chromebook available for each student on the first day of this school year. Still, coronavirus shipment delays derailed those plans, forcing the district to find other ways to keep kids connected to their classrooms.
Now that the devices are available, LCS plans to distribute them over the course of the next three weeks, testing them first Thursday with Woodville K-8 school.
"This is going to be a game-changer," said Rocky Hanna, the superintendent of Leon County Schools. "We've thought about doing this for many years and if anything good has come out of this situation, it's forced our hand. It's going to really transform the way we're able to deliver instruction and blend instruction each and every day with our children."
They'll follow this week's test run with another at Cobb and Desoto middle schools next week.
In two weeks, they'll then send their first large shipment to 17 additional schools.
The availability coincides with the turn of the first nine weeks, just as the district welcomes nearly 3,400 digital students back to brick and mortar classes.
Students can use the devices to transition more easily between platforms should absence or quarantine occur.
