Parents and families in Mansfield say they had to wait in line for hours to receive laptops from Mansfield Independent School District over the weekend.
The district has been handing out devices to families ahead of the first day of school on Wednesday. Like many districts, Mansfield is doing virtual-only learning for the first few weeks of school, with plans of offering in-person learning later on this semester.
Parents say the lines to pick up the devices were much longer than expected.
One parent told WFAA she had been waiting for more than ten hours in her car Saturday and wasn't even able to leave to use the restroom for fear of losing her place.
Mansfield ISD officials sent a letter to families Sunday evening apologizing for the long wait times.
"I understand your frustrations, and I want you to know that we are listening and have spent the last several days devising a new plan to make the process run more smoothly while keeping our students and staff safe," Superintendent Kimberley Cantu wrote.
Cantu said they would add more pick up days and locations to help ease the demand.
Starting Monday, the district will have five pick-up locations. Families should check online to see which location their child's school has been assigned to.
Hours for pick-up will be Monday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. for high schoolers and then Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for all levels. Students can also pick up their devices on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cantu assured families that although the first day is Aug. 12, students who had not yet been able to pick up a device would not be behind their classmates, as the first few days of school will begin with "making connections and establishing processes."