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FCC grant to improve computer, internet access for Harmony students
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has awarded Harmony Public Schools a $539,000 grant to connect low-income students with access to computers and the internet, the school group recently announced.
The grant, a part of the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Act, will immediately supply 1,000 Harmony households with WiFi hotspots to engage in online learning, if needed, or participate in Harmony’s free 24-hour online tutoring service, TutorMe. The grant also will allow Harmony to purchase and distribute 1,000 Chromebooks to students who lack computer access at home.
Keeping students academically connected to their school studies and socially connected to their school friends have been key parts of Harmony’s response to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, Harmony described. In the initial weeks of the pandemic, Harmony distributed roughly 4,000 computers and internet access devices to families. The STEM-focused school system also supplied science teachers and even some students with at-home 3D printers to help produce more than 8,000 face shields for local emergency workers at a time when such equipment was in short supply.
About Harmony Public Schools
Harmony Public Schools is a Texas-born, Texas-wide public charter school system with campuses serving PreK-Grade 12 students in 23 cities across the state, including Beaumont, Greater Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Waco, Lubbock, Odessa, Bryan and the Rio Grande Valley. Harmony’s curriculum places a heavy focus on “STEM skills, Character Education, project-based learning, and college readiness.”
Harmony Public Schools is currently accepting applications for both the 2022-23 school years for students and team members. To learn more, visit www.HarmonyTX.org.