Santa Rosa Schools Begin Distributing Thousands of Chromebooks

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In a push to make distance learning work for the most students possible, Santa Rosa City Schools began handing out hundreds of Chromebooks on Wednesday to families whose students do not have ready access to the internet.

The distribution began at Elsie Allen High and three other schools Wednesday, and will continue this week at other secondary schools in the district. Around 2100 Chromebooks will be available. Next week, as distance learning ramps up for Santa Rosa high school and middle school students, the district plans to continue the distribution at elementary schools. Distance learning using Google Classroom software will start the following week for elementary school students.

Santa Rosa Schools is the largest district in Sonoma County, but many other districts across the county and the state are also pushing Chromebooks out to their students. Santa Rosa has partnered with AT&T which has sold some 2 thousand hotspots to the district at low cost, and is providing data at no charge for several months.

Superintendent Diann Kitamura told News of the North Bay that especially during the coronavirus emergency, technology is the key to delivering meaningful instruction to students districtwide.