After Baldwin-Whitehall School District superintendent Randal Lutz asked parents what the district could do to help with remote learning, the biggest request was for desks to make a more conducive workspace at home.

So, the district has implemented a desk loan program, which will provide desks to students who need them. The timeframe for the loans is undetermined. According to Carrie Butler, communications manager for the district, they will eventually need to be returned, but Lutz is keeping it open-ended.

Butler said that around 250 desks were requested, and distribution pickup was spread over two days.

“Our desk loaner program demonstrates our commitment to meeting our students’ needs, even in unusual circumstances. We know that students are able to achieve greater focus when they have a dedicated space to call their own, but we also know that individual space is at a premium in many houses right now, since so many parents and students are working from home,” Lutz said.

With a hybrid learning program, as well as the option for students to be fully remote, fewer desks are needed in the classrooms.

Following a substitute teacher testing positive for the coronavirus, three of the district’s schools were closed from Oct. 20-23. During that time, McAnnulty Elementary, Whitehall Elementary and J.E. Harrison Education Center were fully remote.

“Being able to reallocate a simple resource like an unused desk to a dedicated space in a student’s home where it will help them focus better and feel more connected to the educational experience is a simple act that can have a huge impact on their academic outcome,” Lutz said. “Anytime we can find creative solutions to make life and learning easier for our teachers and our students, that’s what we want to do.”

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