Thousands of students in Guilford County still lack the laptops needed for remote learning. The district is facing the same global shortages and shipping delays affecting school systems across the country.
More than 73,000 laptops and tablets have been on order for Guilford County students since April, but they're expected to arrive no earlier than November. Soon roughly 5,000 students will miss crucial instruction every day.
Chief Academic Officer Whitney Oakley is calling on community members to donate their gently used mobile devices to the district to loan out to those in need to help fill the void.
"When schools closed in March, students who were facing inequities and were behind had even more learning loss than those who were not facing inequities before the pandemic," says Oakley. "So, it's only kind of widened the gap and exacerbated the inequities that were already present."
Oakley says donated devices — laptops, tablets, and used smartphones — need to be in working order with a camera, microphone, and charger, and able to access the internet. The school district is accepting donations at the administration building, 712 N. Eugene St. in Greensboro, or the Pruette SCALE Academy building at 900 English Road in High Point.
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