Duval County Public Schools is expanding the times and distribution locations for students in need of laptops for virtual learning.
Starting Wednesday, March 25, laptops can now be checked out at 10 schools.
The district is asking parents and guardians to adhere to the following protocols to ensure order and safety:
When To Arrive:
- Determine the day based on the first letter of your oldest child’s last name.
- Determine the time of day based on that child’s grade level.
- If you have more than one child, bring all your children and the school will serve your family at one time.
- The school gate will close at 5:30 p.m. on March 25-27. Cars not inside the school gate by 5:30 p.m. will need to return on Saturday, March 28.
Wednesday, March 25: Students whose last name begins with the letter A-D:
- 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. : High school students
- 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. : Middle school students
- 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.: Elementary school students
- 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.: A-D students who cannot come at the time above
Thursday, March 26: Students whose last name begins with the letter E-O:
- 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.: High school students
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Middle school students
- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Elementary school students
- 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: E-O students who cannot come at the time above
Friday, March 27: Students whose last name begins with the letter P-Z:
- 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.: High school students
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Middle school students
- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Elementary school students
- 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: P-Z students who cannot come at the time above
Saturday, March 28: 9 a.m. to Noon: Any student who has not received a laptop.
Families with multiple students will be limited to checking out two laptops. Those picking up the laptops will need to arrive in a vehicle to maintain safe social distancing.
Related: Local, State, And National Coronavirus Coverage
The district is warning parents to be prepared to wait because the process of tracking who is receiving the laptops is time consuming.
The schools where the laptops can be picked up are:
- Ed White High School
- Duncan U. Fletcher High School
- Mandarin High School
- Jean Ribault High School
- Robert E. Lee High School
- First Coast High School
- Jefferson Davis Middle School
- Kernan Middle School
- LaVilla Middle School
- Mandarin Middle School
The district went to a virtual learning model Monday following an extended spring break. Classrooms remain closed to limit the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
The district stresses laptop checkouts are only for students who don’t have access to computers at home.
Additional information is available on this Duval county webpage.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
