MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Next week, the Shelby County School System will begin distributing free digital devices that will be the link between students and teachers.
Preparations are underway to provide thousands of Shelby County students with digital devices as they get ready for virtual learning in the fall.
Denozanna Moore is the President of United Shelby County Council PTA. She says she knows the challenge ahead for parents.
“Now they are at home. This is a must that you touch bases. See what your child is learning,” Moore said. “It’s time to step up, be parents and get knowledgeable. It’s time to learn, not only just to teach our children but to learn ourselves.”
To ease the transition to digital, SCS is providing online training for everyone involved in digital learning. Its website introduces the Microsoft Teams format that will be used district wide.
The program will run on Microsoft Surface Go Tablets provided to Pre-K through eighth graders. Students in ninth through 12th grades will receive HP laptops.
SCS says every student will have access to a digital device. That’s 95,000 students.
They have set up a special distribution plan to get all of those devices in students’ hands. Starting Monday, August 3, the devices will be distributed by school and grade level, with a group of schools each week.
They can be picked up at the school and special arrangements can be made for parents who have to go to more than one school.
Parents must have an I.D. to pick up a device, and the school schedules are listed on the SCS website. They will also be notified by their school.
“We’re gonna have to put it on Facebook, Instagram, call family members make sure they are updated,” Moore said. “If not, it’s gonna put the teachers behind, and we don’t want to put our teachers behind.”
Home internet will be necessary to access the virtual learning, and hot spots will be given to a limited number of families who are economically disadvantaged. Others can access lower-priced internet service from different carriers.
It’s a big overhaul for everyone, but it’s a new way to learn.
“This is the time we come out as a community. We come out as family and participate and help one another,” Moore said.
Shelby County Schools will own the digital devices, but families are responsible for the care and maintenance. The devices will also have software so they can be located and locked if necessary. They are free, but there will be a cost if they are damaged or lost.