Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
By: Sharon Aron Baron
Prompted by the coronavirus, Broward County Public Schools distributed over 82,000 computer devices over two days to parents and guardians to support remote learning during school closures.
According to the district, the computer distribution adhered to safety guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and BCPS staff was equipped with protective gloves and masks. Parents were also urged to practice social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus.
Parents commented that Tamarac Elementary, Challenger Elementary, and Pinewood Elementary did fantastic jobs keeping people safe in their cars during the distribution.
A parent named Rachael said, “Challenger Elementary kept parents in line in their cars as they waited. The staff did the necessary legwork.”
However, it was different at Millenium Middle. A parent named Carmela said, “I was next door at Millenium in my car watching the whole thing [Challenger Elementary] and was so jealous. They handled it perfectly, meanwhile, Millennium did everything wrong.”
Leslie said, “I went to Millennium and decided to leave. Too chaotic. No social distance AT ALL… not organized.”
The devices are part of the District’s efforts to ensure all students have access to online learning, which begins Monday, March 30.
On Saturday, parents and guardians went to middle and high schools across the District, starting at 8 a.m., completed necessary documentation, and left with tablets and laptops on loan for their children.
“I want to thank our staff for supporting our students and families, and our parents for their patience during this challenging time,” said Superintendent Robert Runcie. “Thank you to our entire Broward community for continuing to come together with us to help us continue to make education available to all our students.”
The District’s information technology staff was on hand to ensure students’ connectivity into the learning platform and disinfected the devices as a proactive measure. Law enforcement was at each campus.