Pittsburgh Public Schools announced Saturday night that students’ start date will be pushed back until Tuesday, Sept. 8, due to delays in the arrival of technological devices needed for e-learning.
School was set to start Monday, Aug. 31, with all students participating in e-learning for the first nine weeks.
In a press release, PPS said the decision was “due to unexpected delays caused by continued technology supply chain shortages across the country.”
“Up to 7,000 devices are expected to arrive by the end of next week to fulfill outstanding need,” the release said.
The district is providing computers to all students who do not have access to one at home. Distribution will be announced as devices arrive.
A robocall to families Saturday night initially stated school would begin on Monday, Sept. 8. Monday, Sept. 7 is Labor Day. A second robocall corrected the error.
Should more delays arise, PPS said that the district will work with staff to ensure materials are in place for students.
Adjustments to the school calendar to make up for the lost days will be made based on a survey of staff and families.
Thousands of devices have already been ordered or exchanged if previous devices were not outfitted for e-learning. As of Thursday, 6,440 devices ordered in the spring had been exchanged or distributed. On Friday and Saturday, 1,200 devices were distributed to students in grades 2-5.
PPS has asked families that have access to a device at home to use that device until more devices are received by late October. Compatible devices include personal desktop and laptop computers and tablets (iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc.). For information on how to use personal home devices to log into the District’s learning management system, families can visit www.pghschools.org/elearning.