More than 120,000 mobile hot spots and 250,000 devices will be distributed to students in need across Harris County due to a new program unanimously approved by Harris County Commissioners Court on Aug. 11.
With many school districts starting the school year remotely or offering remote instruction options for the 2020-21 school year, access to the internet and internet-accessible devices will be vital for educating amid a global pandemic. Although many school districts have already begun loaning devices to students ahead of the fall semester, the digital divide remains for others.
In hopes of eliminating this technological gap, Harris County Commissioners Court approved $32.1 million in funding needed to establish the Digital Access for Students-Support Program, which will provide hot spots with unlimited data plans and internet-accessible devices such as digital tablets and laptops to school districts throughout the county to loan to students for educational purposes.
"On one hand, I am thrilled we are offering help to families with the goal of flattening the education access curve," Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said in a statement. "However, it pains me that it took a pandemic to close the gap between kids with reliable access to the internet at home and those that, in some cases, are having to use mom or dad's smartphone to do their homework, if such a device is even available in the home. This is a great example of what we can accomplish when the state of Texas and local counties work together to help people in need. My hope is that we see more of this happen in the future."
