Education

coronavirus

Kids in Philly Public, Charter and Independence Mission Catholic Schools to Get Free Internet for School Through Comcast, T-Mobile

August 6, 2020

Comcast, the city and several foundations are supporting the effort to connect households with children in Philly’s public, charter and Independence Mission Catholic schools. The initial focus will be on households with K-12 students and no internet access or only mobile phone access, or on people who are homeless and housing insecure. | From: NBC10/Telemundo62 (Read more.)

Education

Germantown High redevelopment moves forward

July 10, 2020

A $50 million proposal to renovate the former Germantown High School site into a mixed-use facility is moving forward, aided by a city provision allowing the adaptive reuse of historic structures — a provision some neighbors say cut them out of the zoning process. | From: PlanPhilly (Read more.)

Education

Comcast Extending Free Internet Service Program for Families in Need

June 22, 2020

In a bid to continue helping families in need after the end of the spring school term, Comcast announced it will extend free internet service to new customers for another 60 days. The company said Thursday that its Internet Essentials program, which was set to expire June 30, will be available to new eligible customers for two more months. The free offer will now be available through the end of 2020, with the company also waiving the requirement that customers not have a past due balance with Comcast to qualify. | From: NBC10 Philadelphia (Read more.)

coronavirus

School District of Philadelphia Reveals Summer Meal, Camp Plans

June 11, 2020

The district is partnering with the City of Philadelphia to continue providing food to students, expanding on the 2.7 million meals it has already distributed since schools were forced to shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak, Superintendent William Hite said. He added that food distribution is a “critical” issue for students. | From: NBC 10 Philadelphia (Read more.)

Education

Comcast must open Wi-Fi networks to get 20,000 Philadelphia students online

May 29, 2020

About 20,000 Philadelphia students without internet connections have been unable to attend school for months, and yet, when asked directly by Dr. Hite, Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, to open their residential Wi-Fi networks so students could actually use the more than 80,000 laptops distributed by an already fiscally underwater school district, Comcast refused. | From: The Philadelphia Inquirer (Read more.)

Education

The Remote School Year Is Almost Over. Here’s How Philly Schools Fared

May 28, 2020

As the novel coronavirus pandemic wears on, at least 124,000 U.S. schools containing roughly 55.1 million students have been closed. As schools pivot to remote learning as a result, school districts in cities like Washington D.C., Sacramento, and Philadelphia are working to ensure that students can access their digital classes by putting laptops directly in the hands of students. With more than a quarter of residents living below the poverty line and growing gaps between rich and poor school districts across Pennsylvania, Philadelphia’s efforts are particularly important. | From: Next City (Read more.)