DeKalb schools and Sprint give free Wi-Fi to students

Internet access allows all students to complete assignments at home.

DeKalb Schools officials and Sprint teamed up to give internet access to 200 students, as connectivity has become a necessity to complete school work and many students don’t have access at home.

Officials handed out wireless hotspots Tuesday at Barack H. Obama Elementary Magnet School of Technology, where cheerleaders greeted district administrators and Sprint officials. Superintendent Steve Green arrived for the presentation in a Sprint-branded Fiat.

Internet access is needed for more than two-thirds of homework assignments, and students often end up frequenting fastfood restaurants with free internet access or sitting outside the school using its Wi-Fi to get work done.

“One of the issues we face is all our students don’t have access to the internet at home,” said Angela Thomas-Bethea, Obama Elementary’s principal. “To see this come to fruition at our school ... is so profound.”

Many Georgia schools also lack robust internet connectivity on campuses, which is greatly hampering learning, education officials say

The partnership is part of the wireless retailer’s pledge to provide internet access to 50,000 students in low-income K-12 school districts through Connected, a

national initiative from President Barack Obama’s administration aimed at ending the digital divide.

Educators have stressed the importance of bridging the digital divide for decades, as students’ options for learning have advanced technologically. Google recently awarded grants for similar initiatives, including one in South Carolina where school buses were outfitted with Wi-Fi.

“This expanded learning opportunity will help students keep on pace with their lessons, and support longterm achievement,” Green said. “This is one more obstacle to success that has been removed for our students.”

Laura Howard, a fourthgrade student at Obama Elementary, thanked those helping provide connectivity for students. “Because of your donation, the Internet is available to us wherever we go,” she said.

Brian Miller, Sprint president for Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, said as an Atlanta resident, he’s glad to help eliminate achievement blockades.

“Learning should never consist of interruptions or inconvenience,” he said. “It’s our goal that for some of the students at this DeKalb County elementary school, Sprint will eliminate the need for them stay late into the evening at school or to go to a place of business with public Wi-Fi.

“With these devices, we are closing the homework gap for 200 students here in Georgia.”