The 1MILLION PROJECT FOUNDATION TO CONNECT 461 STUDENTS IN ROWLAND UNIFIED
Students Receive Free Mobile Hotspot Devices and Service to Connect and Succeed in School
Nogales High School Sophomore Celeste Lopez-Hair (above) and Junior Gabriel Cazun beam as they receive their free mobile hotspot devices and service at the 1Million Project Foundation launch at Nogales High School September 6.
ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA – SEPTEMBER 7, 2018 – Without internet access at home, today’s high school students can quickly fall behind in school. Committed to digital equity, Rowland Unified School District (RUSD) Superintendent Dr. Julie Mitchell announced today that 461 high school students will receive a free mobile hotspot device and free wireless service as part of the 1Million Project Foundation. The program launched in August 2017 with a mission to help one million high school students achieve their full potential by ensuring they have the digital tools and connectivity they need to succeed in school. By the end of the 2018-19 school year, more than 268,000 students at more than 1,750 high schools in 34 states will receive internet access and devices as part of the project.
“The Board of Education and I are thrilled to partner with the 1Million Project Foundation so that our students from Nogales, Rowland and Santana High Schools will have this extraordinary opportunity to have high quality internet access at home that will help them with their schoolwork,” said Mitchell. “This supports our commitment to bridging the digital divide and we are excited to offer this to RUSD students in need of access over the next four years.” Selected students from Nogales High School were the first to receive their hotspot devices and service last night by the 1Million Project Foundation at Back to School Night. The District also provided training for families about responsible use of the internet and the role parents play in digital citizenship. The 1Million Project Foundation will provide hotspot devices and service to selected Rowland High School students on September 12 and selected Santana High School students on September 26.
“Today’s students need equitable access to essential digital tools and connectivity to succeed in high school,” said Doug Michelman, president of the 1Million Project Foundation. “Those students who are disconnected when they leave school every afternoon should not be at a disadvantage just because their families cannot provide them connectivity at home. With the support of Sprint, a national wireless company, we are in a powerful position to do something about this problem by arming eligible students with the critical tools they need to succeed and to believe that they can succeed.”
Each participating student will receive a hotspot device and 3GB of high-speed LTE data per month for up to four years while they attend high school in RUSD. Every device has a Free Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliant content filter to block adult content and malware.
In a survey of those who participated in the first year of the program, the vast majority of students (84%) said the 1Million Project made it easier for them to complete more of their homework in a comfortable, convenient, and safe place. Looking forward, 74% said they are more willing to work hard to graduate from high school. And, 68% said they are more likely to go to college. Administrators reported improved attitudes toward learnings, homework completion rates and school attendance among students.
The 1Million Project Foundation will help 1 million high school students who do not have reliable Internet access at home reach their full potential by giving them mobile devices and free high-speed Internet access. Today’s learning environment requires 24/7 internet access in order to study, learn, explore and complete school work from home. Students that cannot connect when they leave school are at disadvantage, and their chances of staying on track in school are greatly limited. By working with school districts across America, the 1Million Project seeks to remove a significant hurdle in these students’ lives by ensuring they have the same access to the internet as any other student so that they too have a fair shot at achieving their full potential. For more information, visit www.1MillionProject.org.
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.6 million connections as of June 30, 2018 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information visit Sprint at www.sprint.com orwww.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
[1] The Pew Research Center (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/20/the-numbers-behind-the-broadband-homework-gap/)
2 Cash donations for the 1Million Project Foundation are tax-deductible charitable contributions.
The Rowland Unified School District has garnered numerous state and national awards and is proud of its 19 schools with 14,000 students in the communities of Rowland Heights, Walnut, La Puente, City of Industry, and West Covina. More than 5,000 adults (16+) are also served by the Rowland Adult and Community Education School. For more information about Rowland Unified, the community can call (626) 965-2541 or download the free Rowland USD Mobile App for iOS and Android phones/devices that has news, school calendars, a safety Tip Line, and helpful parent and District resources. For more information visit www.RowlandSchools.org or follow Rowland schools on Facebook.com/RowlandUSD and on Twitter @RowlandSchools.