PORTLAND, Ore. — We're officially one week into a distance learning directive that rolled out across the state of Oregon on Monday.
The Portland Public School District is the largest in the state with nearly 50,000 students.
With that many students and families to account for, it's expected that the transition to distance learning is a tough one.
But district officials said they've made progress in this first official week of its home-based learning plan called PPS-HD.
One of the big hurdles continues to be access to computers and the internet as well as getting in contact with families to assess needs.
“We’re trying with administrators and teachers, and community partners and community-based organizations, we’re really leaning heavily on those to help us connect with the families we maybe haven’t connected with,” said Karen Werstein, spokesperson for PPS.
So far, Werstein said PPS has given out more than 12,000 Chromebook laptops.
The district’s got about 3,000 hot spots that are continually being handed out. In addition, through its partnership with Comcast, families are already getting special codes to get free internet for the next six months. Werstein said more than 300 families have signed up and received codes so far.
For students who aren't online yet, physical work packets can still be picked up at meal sites, where almost 170,000 meals have also been handed out.
But in the midst of this bizarre new normal, students are still finding ways to learn and put their creativity to good use.
“To see the students from Lincoln and the students from Roosevelt putting together face shields and putting together grocery delivery, that’s exactly what we want from students,” Werstein said.
The district has also raised about $100,000 through its coronavirus relief fund.
That money will be given to families in need for things like groceries and other essentials.
Families can visit the district's website for resources.
