Over 180 more Catholic students across Lambton-Kent now have access to technology for online learning during the pandemic.
The St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCDSB) distributed Chromebooks and special education devices to 21 schools on Wednesday.
The board said over 1,800 devices have now been delivered to families in need in three stages.
Director of Education Deb Crawford said it's imperative that every family has equal access.
"We are confident following this third deployment that every family in our board has access to technology, so that all students can participate in teacher-led at-home distance learning," she said.
Crawford said the procedure for handing out the devices was approved by the medical officers of health for Lambton and Chatham-Kent.
It included a self-assessment for anyone attending the deployment sites, and a method of distribution designed to safeguard the health and safety of staff and families attending the schools.
Thanks to generous donations by staff and school community members, 43 iPhones have also been couriered to families without access to Wi-Fi in their homes. The personal ‘hotspot’ feature of the iPhones can be used to create a Wi-Fi field to run devices for distance learning.
A mobile data hotspot has also been installed at the Heritage Centre on Walpole Island. Families can drive to the centre, download the work from their vehicles, and then return to submit the work online.
Anyone needing additional support is asked to call their school's principal.