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Clark County schools to release guide on distance learning

Updated July 22, 2020 - 4:10 pm

With distance learning officially in place for the start of the school year, the Clark County School District hopes to answer the litany of questions from families in a forthcoming parent and student guide.

The guide will be released in the next couple of weeks, district representatives said, and will include information on how teachers will communicate with students, as well as where and how to request a Chromebook and other resources.

Information was not immediately available Wednesday on whom parents should contact if they need devices for their students for the beginning of the year, or what format learning would take for students who don’t have access to a Chromebook or Wi-Fi come Aug. 24.

The district said more community town hall meetings will be announced shortly to answer questions from families and staff.

On Facebook, the CCSD Parents group also will be hosting Superintendent Jesus Jara for a town hall at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Other connectivity initiatives have been announced in the hours since Tuesday’s vote on distance learning, including a program through T-Mobile and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford’s office to provide free internet service, hot spots and reduced-price devices to students.

​Those who qualify for the program will be contacted through their local school district, Communications Director Monica Moazez said, with eligibility independent of retail sales and aligned with National School Lunch Program criteria. The program is expected to roll out before the beginning of the school year.

The Cox Connect2Compete program, while not new, is encouraging families who have not qualified in the past to apply again, Communications Manager Susie Black-Manriquez said, with some additional flexibility for barriers such as a past debt with the company that had prevented some families from accessing the program.

The company currently offers two months of free service for new customers who apply by Sept. 30 and meet the qualifications of the program, which include having a K-12 child in the home and participating in a government subsidy program such as the National School Lunch Program or SNAP.

Contact Aleksandra Appleton at 702-383-0218 or aappleton@reviewjournal.com. Follow @aleksappleton on Twitter.

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