The local Catholic school board has equipped almost 2,000 students with the ability to continue learning while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Almost 600 Chromebooks and other special education devices were handed out to students at schools across the St. Clair Catholic District School Board on Tuesday, bringing the total to more than 1,600 devices distributed.
“This is an amazing achievement in a very short time frame,” said Deb Crawford, the board's director of education. “It is so important as we continue to move forward with teacher-led at home distance learning that every student is able to participate.”
All who attended schools to pick up a device were asked for a self-assessment and the devices were distributed in a safe manner to prevent a possible spread of COVID-19.
The school board has also reached out to staff and other community members for donations of old iPhones that are no longer being used. The phones can provide the "hotspot" capability for families who do not have access to the internet through wifi at their homes.
“We now have more than 40 iPhones, which we will soon begin to courier out to families,” said Crawford.
