The Ellwood City Area School District did not want its students to go without Internet access during this challenging time, so they are providing it via school buses.
“We wanted to provide as many opportunities as possible at this time for students to connect,” said District Superintendent Joseph Mancini.
The free access began on Monday, May 4. Five Ellwood City Transit buses outfitted with mobile Wifi units will be parked throughout the district and will broadcast 300 feet from the bus.
The Wifi will also be useful well into the future as students will be able to connect if need be during field trips or when in transit from sporting events, allowing them to complete assignments and tasks. Also the bus Wifi will be additional support should the district not be able to open it’s doors for school in the fall.
Access will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each weekday at the following locations:
- Wampum – Marshalls Funeral Home – Lower lot
- Rosanna Park
- West End – Factory Avenue
- Ellwood City Hospital Parking Lot – Back lot by Mt. Vernon
- Ewing Park Pool Parking Lot
How to Access the network:
- NETWORK NAME – Kajeet Smartbus
- PASSWORD – smartbus
Mancini said this is just an added measure to the continuity of education plan implemented by the district. He added that having such a strong support from his staff with use of technology has kept the district’s students moving forward.
“We were ahead of the curve,” he said despite the challenges of the pandemic.
He attributes this to the district’s acquisition over the last few years of Chromebooks.
“We were able to pivot a little easier,” he said regarding the district’s forced move to online learning.
Mancini said going into the pandemic each 9th-12th grader had his or her own school-issued Chromebook.
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