CLARK COUNTY — In a mega-distribution event on Tuesday, the Tecumseh Local School District sent close to 900 Chromebooks home with families ahead of the first day of school.
The laptops are essential, as the district has committed to having classes 100% online for the first nine weeks of the school year.
The decision to move to virtual learning was made back in July. Currently, Tecumseh is the only district within Clark County that has shifted to this learning model.
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“It’s allowed our parents and our staff to find daycare for their children,” Tecumseh Local Schools Superintendent Paula Crew told News Center 7′s Jenna Lawson. “It’s also given us the opportunity to plan with our Google Classroom.”
The laptops handed out on Tuesday represent about a third of the students within the district. Currently, the rule is one per household unless a family has more than three kids.
Crew said the district has ordered close to 1,000 more, but they won’t arrive until October because of a surge in demand-- so the district trying to adjust as best as possible.
She advised that families try to keep their kids on a set schedule while online learning so the transition back to in-person learning will easier.
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“All of our online sessions that our teachers are having, we are recording so that students who do have to share a device are able to look at their classroom when they’re able to,” she said.
At the drive-thru distribution event, many parents said they were optimistic ahead of the new school year even with the major changes in place -- in part because kids were able to get a taste of online learning last spring.
“I feel like Tecumseh has it under control,” said Tecumseh mom Brandy Hamilton. “It’ll just be interesting to see how (my son) does it with all new classes. He’s not used to advanced classes and so forth.”
Superintendent Crew is expected to join one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s upcoming press conferences to talk about the district’s virtual learning plan as well as how the plan will address students with special needs.
Cox Media Group
