As schools around the world rapidly migrate to online learning environments, education institutions need access to technology solutions. Los Angeles Unified, the second largest school district in the U.S., turned to Amazon for help with supporting parents, students, and faculty during this urgent transition.
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.
Kim Majerus - Leader, U.S. Education, State and Local Government, at AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) quickly deployed its Amazon Connect service—a cloud contact center—for the school district to field IT questions and provide remote support on a variety of topics while working from home. With AWS, Los Angeles Unified has launched five contact centers to serve as resources for families. Los Angeles Unified is using Amazon Connect to handle high volumes of incoming calls from across the school district, and route to appropriate remote staff members. These Amazon Connect contact centers also enable parents and other callers to connect with an IT help desk, the mental health hotline, their school principal, and other support hotlines.
Amazon is also helping to facilitate remote learning by providing students at 1,386 schools in more than 30 municipalities across 730 square miles with the technology needed to connect to online learning tools. Amazon is donating its delivery services to support contactless, doorstep deliveries of Los Angeles Unified-issued devices directly to tens of thousands of students’ homes, offering critical support to Los Angeles Unified families who may have limited access to transportation and are under stay-at-home orders. In addition, amidst shortages and increased demand, Amazon Business acted fast with a global supplier to source 132,000 noise-reducing headphones to deliver to all high school students in the district for minimizing distractions at home. Amazon Business similarly equipped Los Angeles Unified contact center staff members with headphones to ensure they have the tools they need to be effective.
"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," said Kim Majerus, Leader, U.S. Education, State and Local Government, AWS. “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 to support successful learning environments during this unprecedented time."
"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."
Amazon, Amazon Business, and AWS are working with K-12 school systems and higher education institutions around the world to support online learning during this unprecedented time of sustained school closures. Learn more about how Amazon is supporting its employees, customers, and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
