Wake County Public School System gets 50,000 requests for new Chromebooks

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The Wake County Public School System hosted a virtual press conference with Board Chair Keith Sutton and Superintendent Cathy Moore on Friday.

Moore noted that the district has 50,000 new requests for Chromebooks and 16,000 requests for hot spots. As of today, 24,000 devices have been picked up. WCPSS is still notifying parents when they can pick them up with the last notification being sent out Monday. Teachers are working on a plan to work with students who don't have devices so they don't get left behind.

"If you are still awaiting a device, please continue to work with your child's teacher," Moore said. "Our teachers will be flexible and not leave any student behind because of limited technology access. Schools also are providing printed materials for students to support their learning at home."

ABC11's Gloria Rodriguez asked Moore about the possibility of Wake Schools starting a COVID-19 dashboard in light of Johnston County utilizing a similar measure. Moore said they don't have any plans for a dashboard at the moment, but she said they'll take a look at what Johnston County is doing.

Starting in September, students will have to start paying for meals and students who get free or reduced lunch must provide proof.

More than 80,000 students, which is about half the entire student body, are enrolled for at least one semester of the county's Virtual Learning Academy.

Before the year began, the district announced it was spending $3 million on personal protective equipment, including more than 1 million N95 masks. It's also purchased tens of thousands of digital thermometers and more than 20,000 gallons of hand sanitizer. Administrators also talked about professional learning teams to help teachers.