MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The largest school district in the state of Tennessee returns Monday morning, but all 95,000 students will be learning virtually.
Over the weekend, the district had a last minute push to get digital devices into the hands of all its students. Lines were long Sunday with parents waiting to get the devices before the first day.
The district also ran virtual training sessions to try and prepare students and parents to use the provided devices. The district reports 85% of the devices have been picked up so far.
Across the district, all school days will begin at 8:00 a.m. Teachers will conduct their lessons virtually from their empty classrooms.
For parents still needing to pick up a device, they can do so Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Bayer Building, Southwest Tennessee Community College or the Teacher & Learning Academy.
For help with the devices, parents can call 901-416-5300.
The district will continue to provide meals for students. Every Thursday, families can pick up five days worth of breakfast and lunch packs between 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Parents who cannot pick up on Thursdays may get their meals from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Fridays.
At this point, it's still too early to say when students could return to the classrooms or whether the district will follow a hybrid model or go five days a week when that day comes.
For more details about the start of the school year, click here.
