Tip 10: Stagger packet pickups to ensure social distancing

As schools work to ensure equitable remote learning, many are turning to learning packets. While a great solution, there are a couple things to keep in mind to best practice social distancing while distributing packets:

1. Make sure you have downloadable online versions available. Encourage families to download their packet(s) if they can, to help save paper and maintain social distancing.

2. Schedule pick-up times. Some families may need flexibility as to when they can pick up supplies, especially parents that are still working full-time remotely or are on the front lines with in-person essential jobs. Why not use your parent-teacher conference booking tools for this?

The idea came from a school leader in Boston who told us they used parent-teacher conference signups last Friday to book times for families to pickup needed supplies. By arranging pickup times, they were able to better maintain social distancing while also working around parents' schedules!

Example of parent-teacher conference booking invite

Regardless of the booking tools you use, make sure that they protect student privacy and meet data security guidelines!

3. Have people stay in their cars. Sierra Sands Unified School District is among the many to implement drive-through packet pickups. They sent out the following message to their community (which you can do via your school communication platform or email). They also made sure to mention that packets would be available electronically!

4. Distribute packets at different locations on campus. For Elementary School students, you can also hand out packets at classrooms, rather than at a central location (like the office) to further disperse people. Graham ISD took it a step further, and had parents drive to different locations based on grade level within a four hour window.

5. If you want to go above and beyond, consider delivering learning packets straight to students’ doorsteps! That’s what HEB ISD did — administrators took the bus to deliver learning packets to families with no tech access. Go HEB ISD! 👏

K-12 Remote Tips

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We’d love to know what you are doing — what great examples or ideas would you like to share with other schools? Simply comment below or submit your tip via our web form.