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Los Angeles Unified Collaborates with Amazon To Reduce Barriers to Remote Learning (05-06-20)

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Shannon Haber, 213-393-1289                           May 6, 2020

 

Los Angeles Unified Collaborates with Amazon
To Reduce Barriers to Remote Learning

  • Los Angeles Unified leverages Amazon Business to find, distribute and deliver educational devices to continue student learning, including noise-reducing headphones for all high school students in the school district

  • Los Angeles Unified taps Amazon Web Services to establish cloud-based call centers to connect students and their families to remote support on a variety of topics

LOS ANGELES – MAY 6, 2020 – The effort to transition an organization of more than 75,000 employees and almost 700,000 students from in-person instruction to online learning has been tremendous. Los Angeles Unified is relying on Amazon’s sourcing, engineering, and delivery expertise to reduce barriers for students who had to make this shift to virtual classrooms.

Amazon is helping tens of thousands students by donating delivery services to get remote learning devices directly to their homes through contactless delivery. This ensures that students and families who may have limited access to transportation and are under stay-at-home orders will have the devices they need to learn from home.

In addition, Amazon Business responded to an urgent need for noise-reducing headphones and delivered 132,000 to all high school students in the district to minimize distractions they may face at home while distance learning.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) also helped establish a cloud-based call center for Los Angeles Unified using Amazon Connect. The call center provides mental health support to students and families, as well as helps with answering technology questions and addressing other issues. Amazon Business additionally equipped Los Angeles Unified staff members with headphones to facilitate these calls.

“We work with Amazon in several areas,” Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner said. “Amazon is helping us get things done. The mental health and family hotlines were up and running within just a few days. The same quick response is being used to strengthen Schoology – the knowledge sharing platform our educators use to provide lessons to students. Amazon is also helping connect all of our students online with the delivery of devices to students at home. And, the headphones will help to eliminate distractions while students are working online. Amazon is providing brainpower and a can-do approach to help us provide learning to students and support students and families in need.”

“Helping students, parents, and schools alleviate some of their challenges as they transition to remote learning is one of the most important things that Amazon can do to help during the COVID-19 crisis,” AWS U.S. Education, State and Local Government, Leader Kim Majerus said.

“Los Angeles Unified is the second-largest school district in the nation, serving a large and diverse community. Amazon is focused on providing students, faculty, and staff with technology that can help facilitate successful learning environments during this unprecedented time.”

Los Angeles Unified continues to help students learn and support students and families in need. For more information, visit lausd.net. Learn more here about how Amazon is supporting its employees, customers, and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about our collaboration with Amazon, visit blog.aboutamazon.com.

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