Durham school leaders still need laptops, volunteers and space to help students learn virtually

Durham leaders met Tuesday to discuss the steps needed to make sure all students in the district have the resources they need to learn virtually.

Posted 2:30 p.m. Aug 18, 2020 — Updated 6:45 p.m. Aug 19, 2020

Jessica Patrick

, WRAL multiplatform producer

DURHAM, N.C. — Durham leaders met Tuesday to discuss the steps needed to make sure all students in the district have the resources they need to learn virtually.

Durham Public Schools are operating under Plan C, which keeps all students out of the classrooms for at least the first nine weeks of school. While some students have the technology and support they need to learn from home, many others don't.

School systems adapt after governor's push for return to the classroom

Laptops and internet needed

DCPSS Chief Operating Officer Dr. Julius Monk said, as of Friday, the district has just over 13,000 laptops for students, although it requested more than 20,000 in May.

In July, when the United States restricted some Chinese companies from buying American technology, a shipment of laptops from Lenovo was delayed. The rest of the devices are expected to be delivered by mid-October.

The goal is to provide all students in the district with a device so everyone can learn from home. To do this, the district is asking schools to distribute all existing Chromebooks (approx. 16,977) along with 700 devices normally used as loaners, and convert 1,500 Windows laptops into Chromebooks through licensing purchases.

Additionally, Monk said, the DPS Foundation has provided an additional $200,000 to purchase more Chromebooks.

What back-to-school looks like in Durham County

The devices cost around $360 each, Monk said, and they will eventually need to be replaced. Looking ahead at each school year through 2027, DCPSS estimates it will need to replace around 8,000 laptops a year at a cost of about $2.8 million.

Monk also provided an update on hotspots – which families with no access to the internet need so their students can learn remotely.

On July 16, the district purchased 6,000 hotspots at a cost of $1.6 million. After the decision for all-online learning was made, the district requested the activation of another 3,500 hotspots on Aug. 13, bringing the total cost to $2.9 million.

The additional hotspots should be ready this week, Monk said.

Safe learning environments

Dr. Nakia Hardy, deputy superintendent of Academic Services at DCPSS, said, even with the proper technology, many children across the county are in need of safe learning environments.

The district is using six school sites – W.G. Pearson, Eno Valley, Southwest, Githens, Carrington and Shepherd – to provide space for 900 students to learn remotely. The schools will be staffed by volunteers and childcare workers who will screen students for COVID-19 symptoms and help them as they engage in their virtual schoolwork.

The students will be provided with guidance, breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack, Hardy said. The 900 spots will be prioritized based on students' needs – so children in foster care, children who need district-provided meals and children without a safe space to learn will be admitted first.

DCPSS needs an additional 2,100 safe learning spaces, and Hardy said community partners will help secure those.

"This is an exceptional undertaking by our community," Hardy said.

Suggest A Correction