The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School board approved the purchase of more than 200 personal hotspots for elementary students on Sunday night, as online learning begins amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

The brief board meeting was held entirely over teleconference and largely consisted of a closed session. But the board opened back up to vote on a measure to help students who need proper internet access for online classes. Board members unanimously approved the purchase of 225 new personal hotspots, which will be distributed to families of elementary schoolers lacking the proper hardware or internet access. The nearly $50,000 purchase means the school system now has approximately 500 devices it plans to distribute to elementary school families as students learn from home and social distance.

According to documents from the meeting, the school board reassessed its plans after Governor Cooper announced North Carolina schools would conduct exclusively online learning through May 15. CHCCS had previously extended its spring break and closed its schools on March 16 due to the spread of COVID-19.

The board had to vote on the purchase because the school system has already spent $50,000 with the vendor, a technology company called Kajeet, and the additional purchase would exceed $90,000 spent.

With the personal hotspots on backorder, CHCCS plans to begin distribution of devices in about two weeks from the Lincoln Center. In the document, it references a tentative plan to offer certain days where parents can drive up to the center to pick up the available Chromebooks and hotspots. For those families unable to pick up the resources, bus transportation is slated to deliver them.

At Monday’s meeting, the board also affirmed assistant superintendent Patrick Abele as the acting superintendent. The school system announced last week Dr. Pam Baldwin has been placed on medical leave.

Online learning for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools sytem began on Monday.

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

 

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