Laptop donation drive for Cobb students on Sept. 5

A stack of Chromebook laptops is shown in this Atlanta Journal-Constitution file photo from September 13, 2018.(JASON GETZ/SPECIAL TO THE AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz

Credit: Jason Getz

A stack of Chromebook laptops is shown in this Atlanta Journal-Constitution file photo from September 13, 2018.(JASON GETZ/SPECIAL TO THE AJC)

A state legislator wants the public to donate laptops for South Cobb students who need devices for remote learning.

State Rep. Erica Thomas will host a donation drive for gently used laptops and tablets with front-facing cameras from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at City View Elementary School at 285 South Gordon Road in Mableton.

“Although the 2020-2021 school year is in full swing, there are still hundreds of students without devices,” Thomas, who lives in Austell, said in a statement.

The Cobb County School District began the new school year Aug. 17 with virtual learning. The district said it has received more than 38,000 requests for laptops and has distributed more than 30,000 to students.

Stratix, a Gwinnett-based company, has provided 750 of the 2,600 Chromebooks the system needs. The Cobb Schools Foundation also received a $75,000 gift from North Metro Church in Kennesaw to help the district purchase laptops for students. The devices will go to the system’s Title I schools, where at least half of their students qualify for free or reduced-price meals.

Anyone interested in donating laptops or tablets can also contact Thomas’s office at 404-656-7859 or erica.thomas@house.ga.gov.