BUFFALO, N.Y. — To help address the digital divide among students in Buffalo Schools, the district is preparing to roll out hundreds of internet hotspots to students who need them.
This is all so students can continue to do their schoolwork during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to weekly reports from the superintendent for Buffalo Schools to Governor Andrew Cuomo, the rollout of internet hotspots has been planned to happen by this week. And a spokesperson for the district told 2 On Your Side on Monday that hotspots will start to be issued this week, but we haven't been told exactly when.
For the past month and a half, Buffalo Schools have been issuing laptops to students who don't have computer access. Now the district's focus is shifting to getting them internet access.
Earlier this month, the district created a survey to get an understanding from families whether they needed a hotspot or not. The district says it has more than 2,200 hotspots to hand out and has applied for emergency funding from the state to get more.
Whenever the district starts to roll out the internet hotspots, it's expected they'll first start with high school AP students.