The City School District of Albany has received a second shipment of its Chromebook order! The process of distributing devices to students will continue through each school this week.
Last week’s delivery of about 2,000 Chromebooks brings to nearly 3,400 the number of devices the district has received since the end of December. The district expects to receive the remaining delivery of nearly 2,000 more Chromebooks by winter break in February.
Individual schools continue their outreach and coordination with families of students still sharing a device at home. The district expects to achieve a 1:1 computing model by winter break.
Prior to the recent Chromebook deliveries, the district had distributed more than 6,000 devices to students since the pandemic began last March. The district placed an order for an additional 5,200 Chromebooks in July to be able to provide a device to every student.
Delivery of those devices, initially expected in September, was delayed through the fall and early winter due to significant production and shipping delays caused by COVID-19. That included the reality that the pandemic thrust schools worldwide into the same situation at the same time in regard to the need for distance learning.
The district received an initial shipment of 1,360 Chromebooks on Dec. 29, followed by last week’s delivery.
The district remains grateful to the many community partners who have worked in recent months to bridge the digital divide and help students and families get additional computers at home. These partners include:
- Albany Fund for Education
- Hannaford Supermarkets
- Workforce Development Institute of the Capital Region
- Albany Public School Administrators Association
- Albany Housing Authority
- Metropolitan Baptist Church
The district also is grateful to T-Mobile, including its Project 10 Million, and the Center for Educational Innovation for helping to provide hotspots to families who did not have an Internet connection at home.
