Aldine ISD hands out laptops, hotspots ahead of virtual start to school year

HOUSTON – Like many school districts in the Houston-area, the Aldine Independent School District is going to begin the school year with virtual learning. In order to meet the needs of students in the district and bridge the digital divide, Aldine ISD officials handed out Chromebooks and hotspots to hundreds of families Monday.

The drive-thru distribution event took place at Aldine High School Monday afternoon ahead of the district’s Aug. 17 start date.

“All children deserve equal access to education and so with COVID-19 magnifying that devise, we are making sure that our students are getting the learning tools that they need to be successful,” said Aldine High School Assistant Principal Shavonya Rasberry-Vaughan.

District officials said more than 5,000 families signed up for the event and each family got one set of devices. With such a high need among students in the district, officials say they will plan a second event to hand out devices to more students.