Cleveland City Schools is pleased to announce that students now have more ways to connect to the Internet through outdoor access points located at Cleveland Middle School and Blythe Bower Elementary School. 6th-12th grade students will be able to connect their district-provided laptops to access online resources, activities, and educational lessons provided by our outstanding teachers. The laptops are issued for at-home use as a part of Cleveland City Schools’ Blended Learning and Digital Enhancement (BLADE) initiative. Access will be available from the comfort and safety of students’ cars in the parking lots of these two schools.
Dr. Russell Dyer, Director of Cleveland City Schools, stated, “COVID-19 and the recent tornado in our area have taken a toll on our community. However, Cleveland City Schools is committed to ensuring the education of our students continues. This new initiative is yet another way we can help our students and families connect with their schools and teachers.”
The outdoor access points will be available from 8am-8pm each day. Students’ district-provided laptops will automatically recognize and connect to the access points at Cleveland Middle School and Blythe Bower Elementary School when they are within range. Maps are available on our district website at clevelandschools.org to identify the areas of each parking lot that has Wi-Fi coverage.
Dr. Cody Raper, Director of Innovation for Cleveland City Schools, is “thrilled to have more ways for our students to connect and access the resources they so critically need.” Raper continued, “Cleveland City Schools already offers hotspots that our students can checkout from our libraries to help provide Internet access at home. This is one more way that we can help ensure equitable access to all students.”
This project was made possible in-part by a generous donation from the Bradley/Cleveland Public Education Foundation. Going forward, Cleveland City Schools will partner with the City of Cleveland and its Wi-Fi Task Force to develop other access points around the city that will be open to the general public. The Cleveland City Schools Board of Education supports and funds the BLADE Project through our annual budget and is committed to student success.