Thousands of laptops have arrived for K-2 students in Tacoma. Distribution starts soon

Kindergarten, first and second grade students in Tacoma Public Schools still in need of laptops for virtual learning can now get them from the school district.

More than 5,000 laptops are ready for distribution starting Dec. 14, a month earlier than planned. The batch costs $3.7 million, including headphones and vendor set-up costs, said district spokesperson Dan Voelpel.

Pickup times vary depending on the elementary school. Families will be notified through their schools about their designated pickup time.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, the 30,000-student district has deployed 21,000 laptops in for students to work remotely, according to a staff presentation in November.

The district deployed laptops earlier this year to high school and middle school students but said there was a backlog in orders and that elementary students might not receive laptops until after Jan 1.

This new shipment of laptops means Tacoma Public Schools will become a one-to-one device district, or a district where all students have their own district-issued laptop to use for school work. Students will keep their laptops through the remainder of the 2021 school year, even if the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department says it’s safe to return for in-person learning.

Laptops can be checked out by a parent or guardian with or without their student present and should have their student’s identification card.

The Foundation for Tacoma Students continues to connect families to the internet.

So far, 258 families connected to Comcast, and 323 families have received Wi-Fi hot spots, according to a presentation to the school board last month. Additionally, 291 Comcast promo codes sponsored by the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction have been shared with Tacoma families. There were still 903 families on the wait list as of Nov. 12.

For more information on laptop distributions, visit tacomaschools.org.