The ongoing health crisis has revealed a challenge for those schools implementing online learning—students' lack of internet access. Now, Casa Grande has a solution.
Michael Cruz, who is the Casa Grande Elementary School District's director of communications and marketing, said that while every student now has a device, thanks to the district, it also found that approximately 1,600 students have no reliable connection to the internet.
In order to solve the problem, the district came up with a temporary fix: it set up learning hubs and internet hot spots, where students can get together safely to connect. While it is working short-term, it is not viable for extended periods. However, a new private-public partnership is being devised that guarantees a reliable internet connection, and, for some users, a free one.
The school distract has partnered with a local utility, and with the mayor, to discover how it could provide internet long term. The solution is that the city of Casa Grande will be giving some of the money it received from the CARES Act to the schools, which in turn will give $100 to each family that needs support.
Depending on which provider the family uses, that small amount will cover either cover the price of a modem, or the discounted internet price of $9.99 per month. The best part of the plan is that it means all children in Casa Grande grades K-12 will have access. Flyer printing can create mailers to inform residents of decisions like this.
