CONNECTICUT — Connecticut will use $43.5 million of federal money to help close the digital divide gap for remote learning.
Around $22 million of the funds will be used to purchase 50,000 laptops for students and $15 million will be used to provide in-home access to broadband for 60,000 students for 12 months. The laptops come on top of around 60,000 that were already purchased through the now-defunct Partnership for Connecticut.
The 110,000 laptops are enough for one-fifth of the state's public school population.
Another $4.5 million will go toward creating 200 public internet hotspots around the state.
The announcement was made in Waterbury, which has just under 19,000 students in its school system. Around 8,500 Chromebooks have been handed out to students in the district,Mayor Neil O'Leary said. The city is hoping to get thousands of additional laptops for students.
"In 2020, it is paramount that every Connecticut student has access to high-speed internet, quality digital learning content, and a reliable and effective learning device," Gov Ned Lamont said. "Too often, students of color and those in low-income communities are disproportionately disadvantaged by not having access to the learning technologies they need."
Lamont said the digital divide is the Brown v. Board of Education of the generation where many minority students lack access to basic laptops and internet connectivity.
The state Department of Education surveyed school districts about their technology needs with the aim of ensuring every student has access to a laptop and high-speed internet.
The hope is that the laptops will be in student hands by the first day of school, however, there is high demand across the world right now, which may delay the rollout, said Doug Casey, executive director of the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology. The state is working with school districts to figure out how to best leverage the current technological resources.
See also: Connecticut Adds More States To Quarantine List
July 29, 2020 at 02:35AM
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CT To Buy Laptops, Internet Access To Close Digital School Gap - Patch.com
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