BATON ROUGE - Teachers and staff gave away dozens of devices Wednesday for students at Scotlandville Middle Magnet School.

Cars lined the parking lot for their curbside pick-up. It's a new necessity for students in East Baton Rouge Parish, as they head into the school year.

"It will be different because we're not used to virtual learning. We're more used to learning in the classrooms," one student said.

For some students, it's been an anxious wait at home to see how virtual instruction will resume. Being hunkered down without a laptop has been difficult.

"I feel like it would be very hard learning on a computer because we have so much going on in the house. At school you have no choice but to focus," a student at Scotlandville Middle Magnet School said.

The East Baton Rouge Parish school system has handed out 5,000 laptops to students this summer. Principal Shalika Scott says when the school year starts, every student will be tech-ready.

"Some parents have technology at their home, but we are offering everybody a Chromebook to ensure that they have reliable technology," Scott said.

Scott says being apart from her students isn't easy, but she believes virtual learning is the safest way to start the school year.

"I know that it is the best thing, as far as safety and maintaining the health of our students and our faculty, but I really really miss the kids," Scott said.

Every school in the East Baton Rouge Parish system will provide devices for students who need them. Each school will announce it's distribution day.