Utica Community Schools was fully aware of the "digital divide" among its students when it shuttered its campuses in March and switched to online learning.
Now more than 2,000 computers are being used by pupils at the Instructional Resource Center; Eisenhower, Henry Ford II and Utica high schools; Davis and Jeannette junior high schools; and Duncan and West Utica elementary schools, according to spokesman Tim McAvoy, who spoke to C&G Newspapers.
Ford Principal Lori Singleton said many parents were grateful and excited for the laptop distribution, adding that it helped families with four or five children that may not have enough devices to accommodate everyone. Singleton told C&G Newspapers that the families were given personal technological support as well.
Utica Community Schools Superintendent Christine Johns encouraged students to remain connected with their teachers, even though the traditional school year has come to an abrupt end. She expressed gratitude towards UCS’s teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers and food-service workers for their “extraordinary” work during these challenging times, according to C&G Newspapers.
Alerts Sign-up