High Demand For Computer Devices Quickly Exhausts Pittsburgh Public Schools' Supply Hours Into Distribution

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh Public Schools classes start Monday and not everyone will have a laptop yet as the school goes virtual. Hundreds of families were lined up Saturday to get one but supplies ran out.

Hundreds of students and their families lined up to try and get a laptop hours before the giveaway even started, and there was no guarantee they were going to walk away with one. Some arrived at 7 a.m. and the distribution didn't start until around 10.

For many of the parents and students this was there second or third try to get the devices for their children. Some were turned away Thursday or Friday.

"If this is so unorganized, how is it going to be looking online," senior Clarence Porch said.

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Porch was able to get his school issued device setup for this year on Thursday but has been waiting to get a laptop for his brother.

"I just don't see why they couldn't have gotten everything we needed that day," Porch said while standing in line.

District leaders had to shut down distribution sites earlier then expected. According to parents, they sent out robocalls and put messages online.

"I'm sorry and we're working on getting laptops. We are working as hard as we can to get them laptops," district chief accountability officer Theodore Dwyer said.

Dwyer said not every student that needs one will have it for the first day of school. The district is having supply chain issues. About 160 were given out at Carrick High school on Saturday.

"We got enough ordered. It's just getting them in and getting them in to peoples hands," he said.

The district is waiting on thousands to still arrive. In the meantime, Dwyer said personal devices and phones will work for classes. If you have a school issued device from last year it needs to be setup for this year.

"Just every child. It would have so much nicer for even the kids to know they have what they need," mother Ashlee Carder said.

"We're all trying to get through this together. This is just something we've got to work through one day at a time," mother of three Johanna Pearson.

The district is going to try to work with the schools to get the devices in hand of the students who need it.