NECSD Awarded Over 400 Sprint 1Million Project Foundation Hotspot Devices

Newburgh Enlarged City School District Superintendent, Dr. Roberto Padilla announced today that the district has been chosen to participate in the Sprint 1Million Project Foundation Grant Program that will award more than 400 wireless internet hotspots for students without reliable internet access to use at home. This will allow students to complete homework assignments from home and continue the work of bridging the digital equity gap in district communities. The hotspot devices, provided by Sprint, are of no cost to NECSD or students.

Starting in the 2019-2020 school year, any student participating in the 1Million Project will receive a free hotspot device with 3GB of high-speed LTE data per month for up to four years while they are in high school. Unlimited data is available at 2G speeds if usage exceeds 3GB in a month. The 1Million Project hotspot devices will be distributed and provide service to eligible students at all three Newburgh Free Academy campuses in grades 9-11. NECSD will continue to communicate with Sprint annually to determine the device quantities needed for the following program years.

Sprint’s mission with this project is to provide free wireless devices and service to one million students who are in need of reliable internet service. This aligns with the districts vision of inclusive excellence and goals for digital convergence, including connected learning and digital equity for all students.

“My equity charge is to not allow the conditions of race, ZIP code, disability, ethnicity or language to be predictors for success in life.” Said often by Dr. Padilla. The award of these hotspot devices is in part due to the hard work of NECSD My Brother’s Keeper Fellows, Jeremiah Palemon and Kameren King. These 12th grade students, not only helped craft the grant application, but also addressed the Newburgh City Council to gain their support and inform the community about why digital equity and this grant are paramount to the successful education of their fellow students and community at large. This is student leadership at its best.

Seventy percent of America’s high school teachers assign homework that requires online connectivity, yet more than 5million families with school-aged students do not have internet connectivity at home.1In the coming weeks, NECSD will be sending out participation surveys and sign-up sheets to students and permission sheets to parents in grades 8-11. The devices will be assigned in the Fall of 2019.

The Sprint 1Million Project Foundation grant will be facilitated by NECSD Executive Director of Information Technology, John Krouskoff and maintained by each of the Newburgh Free Academy Campus Information Technology Facility Teachers.

   1The Pew Research Center (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/20/the-numbers-behind-the-broadband- homework-gap/).

 Read more about the project here: http://www.1millionproject.org/

ATTENTION: Are your scholars or colleagues doing something great? Please contact the district Communications Team at communications@necsd.net. We’d love to visit your class or event and/or post your pictures and recap to highlight the amazing accomplishments throughout our district!