Federal grant gives Westerville middle schoolers access to laptops, hot spots for homework

More Westerville students will have access to Chromebooks and hot spots for homework beginning in January.

Thanks to a $1.7 million grant through the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Connectivity Fund to expand students’ access to technology at home to meet their remote learning needs, including homework, the district is purchasing new Chromebooks and Wi-Fi hot spots.

As part of the grant, Greg Lewis, district director of information technology, said the district is purchasing 4,000 Chromebooks and 300 Wi-Fi hot spots. He said the district has about 10,000 Chromebooks that are kept in the buildings to be used for testing and class lessons.

The 4,000 new Chromebooks are designed for students to use at home and support such remote educational activities as homework, Lewis said.

“We know access to the internet and technology devices are critical to support students’ opportunities to learn,” said Paul Hopkins, Westerville City Schools’ assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. “The 4,000 Chromebooks and 300 Wi-Fi hot spots provided through the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund will increase students’ in-home internet connectivity and provide technology to meet their learning needs at home.”

Lewis said middle school students attending a Westerville school would be the first students eligible to request a device, and the district soon will reach out to families, informing them of the opportunity to request devices.

He said Chromebooks and hot spots would be issued to eligible students in early January.

The FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund, which is part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, provides funding for schools and libraries to purchase laptops and tablet computers.

The Emergency Connectivity Fund is a $7.17 billion program that's expected to help schools and libraries provide the tools and services their communities need for remote learning during the COVID-19 coronavirus emergency period.

The ECF is expected to help provide relief to millions of students, school staff and library patrons and help close the homework gap for students who lack necessary Internet access or the devices they need to connect to classrooms.

mkuhlman@thisweeknews.com

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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Grant gives Westerville middle schoolers access to laptops, hot spots