Lansingburgh students to receive Google Chromebook
TROY, N.Y. » The Lansingburgh Central School District is rolling out its plan to provide a Google Chromebook to every district student who needs one during class cancelations due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
On March 21, Superintendent Dr. Antonio Abitabile informed Lansingburgh parents and guardians that the district will provide Chromebooks to each Lansingburgh High School student and Knickerbacker Middle School student who needs one for distance learning.
Additionally, every Rensselaer Park Elementary and Turnpike Elementary family will receive one Chromebook per family based on their needs.
Abitabile explained the district was taking this measure to keep in line with NewYork’s State’s recent mandate regarding school district responsibility during school closures due to COVID-19.
“We believe having this access to technology is essential to ensuring the continuity of instruction for as long as we have to close our schools due to COVID-19,” said Abitabile.
Currently, classes are scheduled to resume at the beginning of April but given the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, the initiative was put in action to give all Lansingburgh students a fair opportunity to continue learning should class cancelations be extended.
The district distributed an online Chromebook Needs Survey via phone, email, website and social media to assess individual student and family needs for devices. Similar to textbooks, the Chromebooks are district property that will be signed out and returned by the end of the school year.
Chromebooks will be distributed to students in phases. High school and middle school students who expressed a need for a device will pick-up their Chromebooks this Thursday, March 26. Elementary school families in need of a device will be contacted soon about pick-up once the district receives an upcoming delivery of new Chromebooks.
Staff in all schools are finalizing distance learning plans, with middle and high school teachers set to begin working with their students using the devices the week of March 30.
Distribution pick-up plans for the Chromebooks will follow strict social distancing guidelines which will be outlined to students and families when contacted about picking up their device, district officials noted.