Sapulpa schools offering sanitized, bagged Chromebooks to elementary students
SAPULPA, Okla. (KTUL) — It operates like a drive-thru, but they aren't serving up burgers, they're serving up Chromebooks.
"We wanted to make sure that every family that needed some sort of device had the opportunity to get the device at home," said Holmes Park Elementary School Principal Roger Johnson.
Elementary school students typically do not take Chromebooks home like middle and high schoolers, so when they opened up the application form to those parents, there was a surge in demand.
"There was a time that we did have to stop taking in the orders just so we could get those out. We had over 450 just here at our school," Johnson said.
Parents in line to grab those sanitized and bagged laptops say this will be a big help at home.
"It's easier for my child to do the stuff online than it is maybe to write it down, and she might lose it," said mom Andrea Smith.
It's not necessarily that these families don't have a computer, but maybe what they have isn't up to the job.
"I have a laptop at home, but it's kind of old. It doesn't work as well," said fifth-grader Laci Ratcliff.
Holmes Park expects another 150 Chromebooks to go out when they reopen applications for their school alone, meaning more than half the students will have taken advantage of the program.
With 70 to 80% of the students on free or discounted lunch programs, the need for this modern technology is clear.
"I don't think all of our families have internet, but they all know or have places where they can go where there are opportunities for them to get free internet and I guess less expensive internet for them now," Johnson said.
As for the kids, they can't wait to go back to school, because working from home...
"It's kind of boring," said Ratcliff. "I don't get to see my friends or anything."
