A high school principal has set out to buy 700 laptops, which could cost around $171,500, for his students so they can begin mandatory online instruction in April.

Since launching a fundraising effort March 27, the Woodland Hills School District has received around $30,000 in donations from the community, according to Phillip Woods, Woodland Hills High School principal.

“My goal is to make sure every single home in this district has a device in it,” Woods said. “If we have to start taking desktop computers out of the school, that’s what we’ll do. Or we’ll have everyone work off cellphones and pay their cellphone bill. There’s so many different ways to be creative.”

Woods said his passion comes from a place of wanting to ensure that every student continues to get educated during a time where school buildings have been closed since March 16 to curb the spread of covid-19. Since then, students with internet access have been able to obtain lessons online.

“But that’s still voluntary,” he said. Once mandatory instruction begins, Woods said he wants every student to be able to do that.

It is unclear when students will begin mandatory online learning. While Woods said students are expected to return to mandatory online learning April 14, Woodland Hills Superintendent James Harris said in a written statement that it will begin April 6.

Mandatory online instruction began shortly after Gov. Tom Wolf’s original order to close school buildings. But since March 19, online learning has been optional.

Harris sent a letter to students instructing them to log in to the school’s online portal for assignments shortly after the governor closed all school buildings on March 16. Teachers in grades K-12 would be posting 10 days’ worth of assignments.

But three days later, Harris — and many educators in Allegheny County — had to stop the mandatory online learning because it meant many students couldn’t access those materials or it meant kids with special needs couldn’t get the same support they needed. Schools, by state and federal law, must provide equal educational opportunity to both general education students and students with special needs.

Of the district’s approximate 3,400 students, Harris has said around 1,000 have various needs that cannot be provided online.

“I was devastated when I was told we couldn’t teach new instruction,” Woods said. “The last thing I want is for a student to sit idle. … I want my kids at home learning.”

Woods said the long-range goal is to be able to provide one device for every student.

That’s why, on March 27, Woods wrote a letter to alumni and the Woodland Hills School District community. In it, he implored them to either donate money or an HP laptop.

Woods said when he woke the next day, a Saturday, the district had received almost $10,000. By the end of the weekend, there was close to $20,000, he said.

And the money was getting difficult to keep track of. So he called the Woodland Hills Foundation, a nonprofit funding vehicle for the school district. The foundation agreed to oversee the money and handle the record keeping, Woods said.

The Woodland Hills Foundation was not available to comment. However, an announcement on its website directed interested donors to make donations by giving to a PayPal “Chromebook Fund” account.

“All donations to the fund will go directly to the purchase of Chromebooks for high school students in our district who do not have their own computers,” said an announcement posted to the foundation’s website.

To be ready for graded online instruction, Woods said district teachers will confer virtually the week of April 6 to prepare lesson plans and agree on the curriculum. He said instructions will be sent out to parents and students that week.

He said the last day of school at Woodland Hills remains June 5. He hopes the district doesn’t have to extend the school year.

“This is the reason I’m so adamant — I don’t want to have to answer that. I don’t know what’s going to happen to a kid who doesn’t have a device,” Woods said.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)