Polk County students pick up iPads as they get ready to head back to class virtually

LAKELAND, Fla. - Dozens of cars lined up at Sikes Elementary on Thursday to pick up an iPad, which is something that tens of thousands of Polk County kids will be relying on when school starts Monday.

Sikes and other Polk County schools are handing out iPads to students who will be e-learning at home because of COVID-19, rather than going to class.

At Sikes, the day will begin at 7:45 a.m. and end at 2:45 p.m.

“They’ll have art, music, PE. It will be like a normal school day. It follows our normal school classes, but it is online,” Sikes principal Kerry Chapman, told FOX 13.
 

Last March, Polk and other school districts canceled traditional classes and went to total distance learning and it was rough.

Parents complained that the system was too complicated and that teachers would use different platforms that worked best for their subject area. Chapman said the district hopes this year, things will go a lot smoother.

“We’re better prepared,” she said. She also said teachers are better trained now.
 

Since not all households have Wi-Fi, the district is giving out a limited number of hotspots and will be sending out school buses that have been outfitted as mobile hotspots to targeted neighborhoods.