PEEKSKILL, NY — Peekskill schools opened Thursday taking a ‘can do’ attitude toward the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
“While it might not have been the kick-off to the school year that we have had in previous years, today was certainly special in its own way,” said Superintendent Dr. David Mauricio. “Starting schools in a virtual model posed some challenges for us at first, but our team came together to create solutions.”
Mauricio said the hard work that teachers, staff and administrators did to prepare was evident as students logged into their virtual classrooms and were engaged in instruction.
“It was great to see the excitement on both ends – from teachers and students,” he said.
One of the most important innovations for the start of the school year was giving out Chromebooks to students who need laptops.
“As of this afternoon, we have handed out over 700 devices to our students as we continue on our pathway to soon be a one-to-one district,” Mauricio said. “We also set up wi-fi ‘hubs’ in some of our buildings for students who needed wi-fi access, and it was great to see students take advantage of this resource today. I’m glad that we have been able to accommodate virtual learning while we navigate this health crisis, but just like many others, I’m looking forward to the day where all of our students can safely return to our buildings.”
By the second day of school, Peekskill officials report 1,250 Chromebooks have been handed out.