Tempe District Loaning Its Students Laptops, IPads During School Closure

By Rocio Hernandez
Published: Thursday, March 19, 2020 - 4:36pm

With Arizona schools closed for an undetermined amount of time, the Tempe Elementary School District is distributing iPads and laptops that its kindergarten through eighth grade students can use at this time. 

District families can pick up the devices on Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m. or Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. The district has a list of educational websites and apps that students can use at this time on its website. 

“Any learning that takes place at this time is optional," said district spokeswoman Gabrielle Dunton. "So these activities are family-friendly such as measuring when you are cooking or measuring items around the house, writing a paragraph of what you did today. We don't want to add any additional stress. We just want our parents to know that we are here at that time." 

The district is distributing paper and pencil activities for families without WiFi. The district also has a list of providers that are offering low-cost internet at this time.

The district has been offering breakfast and lunch to children 18 or younger since it closed on March 16. Dunton said so far, the district has distributed about 5,500 meals. 

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