Pittsburgh Public Schools Delays Start Of School Year
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh Public Schools has announced they are delaying the start of the school year to September 8.
The announcement comes after a supply-chain shortage, making it difficult for all students to get laptops in order to learn from home.
"No one has ever had to deal with something like this before, and everyone just has to be as patient as possible," said Sylvia Wilson, school board president. "No one could have foreseen that we're still dealing with this, and again, we just don't have the equipment. Vendors out there promised, we haven't gotten it. Everyone needs to be as patient as possible."
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On Saturday, hundreds of students were without laptops as hundreds of people waited in line for the technology.
"Similar to school districts in our region, we must delay the start of school to ensure all students have the opportunity to fully participate in E-Learning," said Superintendent Anthony Hamlet. "At this time the distribution of devices is only for those families of students who do not have access to a device. By delaying the start of school we can ensure that no student is inequitably disadvantaged because they do not have access to the tools they need to start the school year successfully."
The school says that up to 7,000 devices are expected to arrive by the end of next week.