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The shutdowns came quickly, throwing the  educators into crisis mode. A shelter-in-place order meant they had to rethink their entire educational model while combating anxiety and frustration from students, families and even staff.

“We called it crisis education. Everyone’s stress level exploded. I knew I needed a plan to continue to educate our children. For me, educational equity was the priority.”

-Dr. Flora Reichanadter, Superintendent of Pike Township Schools

The students had varying access to technology for online learning. Educational equity was a priority despite some students’ lack of access to computers and Wi-Fi. MSD Pike Township needed to print and ship instructional packets to students’ homes and individualized packets to students with specialized education plans.

Once in-person learning was scheduled to resume, the district needed a way to keep staff and students safe—to take precautions beyond masks and social distancing. They knew that desk shields would be a huge step toward protecting everyone, but the timeline was tight. Most vendors were unwilling to commit to a delivery date.

“I talked to several other vendors about the desk shields, but their timelines were totally unrealistic. I had one who said they couldn’t guarantee a delivery date, but that they could probably get them to us four or five months down the road. I thought, ‘I don’t have four or five months. These kids are coming in another month. I need these now.’”

-Raul Rivas

Standard desk shields weren’t the right; size, and they lacked quality and stability.

School staff tried to fabricate custom shields onsite, but the process was too labor- and time-intensive.

Personal consultation

MSD Pike Township worked with their FedEx Office sales rep to create a strategy for printing and distributing more than 5,000 educational packets. These packets bridged the technology gap some students faced.

“Kate, our FedEx Office rep, was an amazing problem solver. We would talk, email and brainstorm until we had our process finalized. She was always thinking of ways to streamline our process and create efficiencies.”

-Dr. Flora Reichanadter, Superintendent of Pike Township Schools

Personal customization

District personnel knew they needed desk shields, but they weren’t sure of the exact specifications. They went through a prototyping process with FedEx Office, making changes until they had a product that was both protective and functional. The sturdy, durable shields were transparent and lightweight enough for students to carry. They featured a slot for passing papers and could be disinfected.

“The first prototype of the desk shield was just a little bit too flimsy. Kate suggested increasing the thickness of the framing, and that solved it. I suggested creating a slot at the bottom for passing papers, and Kate made that happen, too.”

- Raul Rivas

On-time deliveries

After the prototype was approved, a FedEx Office team member personally delivered a student version and a teacher version to a school board meeting so staff could see them up close. Then, FedEx Office produced and delivered more than 11,000 desk shields to the district in time for in-person classes to resume.

“Believe me, having the shields at the meeting was critical. My hat’s off to FedEx Office for meeting our deadlines so we could showcase the desk shields and then roll them out.”

-Raul Rivas