How was this project led or supported by the District?  

Once district leaders identified the need for providing students with access to technology devices, the District rallied community leaders to support a massive purchase, deployment, and support effort. The District worked with community partners to source devices and to handle operations such as delivery, configuration, and tagging. 

DPSCD developed a deployment plan for 19 sites across the District. Principals were trained and recruited District staff and community volunteers to support the effort. Guidance included everything from secure storage to volunteer assignments to expectations for PPE use. At each site, families would check-in using a DPSCD developed application, and within approximately 10 minutes, a volunteer was delivering the device along with an instructional manual and answering any questions they had about the device. These efforts were supported by 1,642 school, central office, and community volunteers. 

The District also launched Connected Futures and Online Learning pages on its website to support families with videos and documents about how to use their child’s device to access learning apps. In addition, families had access to the District’s customer service hotline and to Human-I-T, a nonprofit that provides technical support for families via phone and text. 

Later, the District found that families were eager to learn about their devices but needed someone to walk them through it while observing. To meet this need, on December 1, 2020, the District strategically launched 13 Technology and Family Resource Hubs, selecting the locations, ensuring schedules are accessible for working families, and that staffing is sufficient.