.⁦ @JCPSSuper⁩ is detailing the plan for ⁦ @JCPSKY⁩ to provide Chromebooks and data hotspots to families ahead of the start of the 2020-21 school year with ⁦ @MyNTIky⁩.

Pollio encourages families to start preparing for "NTI 2.0." The district will start the 2020-21 school year with at least six weeks of distance learning, and a new nontraditional instruction website has launched today.

He also stresses the need for families to update their contact information ahead of the start of the school year.

Pollio tells families that received Chromebooks to hold onto those devices.

In all, more than 50,000 Chromebooks will be distributed during @MyNTIky (spring and fall combined).

Anyone who needs a device can request them online starting Monday at 9 a.m., according to Chief Information Officer Kermit Belcher.

If they don't have internet, families can request them by calling their children's schools or the district's 313-HELP hotline, he says.

Families can also request hotspots through the same avenues, Belcher says.

Pollio asks families to "have patience with us" if they call the 313-HELP hotline.

About 30% of families lack access to the internet, Pollio says.

"These are short-term solutions," he said. He's calling on others in the Jefferson County community to help bridge the digital divide.

Families can expect more frequent communications with their schools, @kids_inspire says.

The district is also making more digital learning resources available during "NTI 2.0," she said.

"We want to make sure that we support safety and health," Pollio says, adding that one COVID-19 infection or death linked to the district is too many.

Unclear at this point exactly how much the new hotspots will cost, but Pollio says the district is expecting to spend less on PPE due to starting the school year with distance learning.

The district is also waiting to get a handle on how many Chromebooks have been lost during the spring offering of NTI. Pollio says the district will track people who request additional Chromebooks.

Belcher says device distribution will be up to individual schools. They could offer drive-up pickups, he said.

"We don't have the capacity to do that (test for COVID-19 on a regular basis)," Pollio says when asked about the beginning of fall sports.

Pollio says the district is working with churches, community centers and other community stakeholders to open learning hubs during distance learning.

Pollio says he's confident that all students will be able to have devices as needed.

All 30,000 Chromebooks will be distributed at the start of the school year, Pollio says.

Had they not ordered as quickly as they did, JCPS may be waiting until September or October, he said.

"A lot of leaders are struggling with those benchmarks," Pollio says when asked about what he needs to see before resuming in-person instruction at JCPS.

He won't be the only person making that call, but he wants to see local COVID-19 cases and positivity rate declines.

Cost on 10,000 data hotspots: $2.4 million.