Phoenix Will Distribute Thousands of Laptops To Students

PHOENIX — A new city of Phoenix initiative is aiming to close the technology gap laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic.

With many Vally students still learning from home, Phoenix partnered with School Connect to provide thousands of students in need with internet-enabled laptops.

“The digital divide has only been amplified by the current COVID-19 crisis. It is more crucial than ever to provide our students, families and educators with the tools they need to continue learning, despite interruptions to traditional in-person schooling,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a statement. “With the distribution of approximately 10,000 devices, I’m proud the city has stepped up to make distanced learning more manageable, accessible and equitable.”

The goal for the laptop distribution is to help schools ensure that there is a working laptop for each and every student in grads K-12.

“School Connect and Scottsdale Bible Church are grateful to partner with the city to make it possible for students to have equitable access to online resources,” Tracey Beal, Executive Director of School Connect, said in a statement. “Every laptop purchased will enable the students to achieve academic success using the technology they need.”

The program is being funded by $2 million from the city's CARES Act money and through a $1 million donation from Scottsdale Bible Church. The laptops will become the property of school districts, which will each create their own guidelines for how students should maintain their new devices.

The city will begin distributing laptops at 8 a.m. on Wednesday at the Phoenix Convention Center.