WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – With school districts preparing to start classes this fall, teachers are getting ready for virtual lessons and school districts are preparing with the proper technology.

When schools had to abruptly switch to e-learning in the spring because of the Coronavirus pandemic, parents, students, and even teachers were caught off guard and scrambled to finish the 2019-2020 school year.

However, with time to figure out the hiccups over the summer, Wausau School District and Stevens Point Area Public Schools officials said they’re ready with the right technology for the fall.

“We learned that it’s very important for every student to have a device that works,” said Brian Casey, the Director of Technology at Stevens Point Area Public School District. “Our goal is to get every kid online.”

Back to school in 2020 means being fit with the right technology so students and teachers aren’t left behind.

With COVID-19 keeping many kids learning at home this fall, digital personalized learning will keep students connected to the education they need.

“We’ve really relied heavily on one to one devices. Our plan… is to make sure every single student grades K-12 has a Chromebook to take home,” Casey said.

Both Stevens Point Area Public Schools and the Wausau School District plan to provide free internet hotspots to students that don’t have access at home.

“We’re working with families who need more support to gain the internet access they need for virtual learning and we’re reaching out to them and determining different types of needs,” Director of Technology and Media at the Wausau School District Jon Euting said.

Wausau schools provide iPads for students K-5 and Chromebooks for students 6-12.

With Wausau starting the school year fully virtual, they will have a socially distant in-person hub option at schools for students to go to if they’re struggling with online learning.

The hub is going to have teachers there to help students with more hands-on work and it also provides internet and technology for students who may not have those at-home benefits.

“We feel better positioned in the fall to build on what we did in the spring and address concerns we heard from families in the spring to remove those in the fall,” Euting said.

Both districts have the same goal of keeping kids safe and eventually getting back to the way school once was before the pandemic.

“Our overall plan needs to be planned for all contingencies. We hope that we’re back face to face with students, that’s our goal is to get our students back in the building,” Casey said.

While the Wausau School District is starting the year fully virtual, Stevens Point Schools will be doing a blended format with students K-6 e-learning just on Wednesdays and students 7-12 will be online three days a week and meeting in person the other two days.

Copyright 2020 WSAW. All rights reserved.