Today officials with the South Bend Community School Corporation and the City of South Bend announced that $1,800,000 has been obtained from the Governor's Emergency Education Relief grant to provide home internet or cellular internet for two years for the city's most at-risk families. A study done prior to receiving the funding showed that almost 30% of households in the school system were unconnected. The grant will provide discounted broadband connections and thousands of mobile WiFi hotspots.
Chief Innovation Officer for the City of South Bend, Denise Riedl, says this initiative gives students the resources needed for eLearning.
“Not only will students who need it the most have access in their homes but portable hotspots will follow them wherever they need to go whether that’s a relatives house or a community center,” Riedl said.
Any student who receives free/reduced lunch or whose parents are unemployed is eligible.
Here is a link to the list of other schools in Indiana that have received similar grant funds.
