Background:
On May 4, 2020, Oklahoma was awarded $160,950,476 in federal K-12 relief funding from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Within that funding, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) was allocated a set-aside amount of $15,290,296 for “emergency needs” to address issues related to coronavirus. Of the set-aside funds, the OSDE has purchased 50,000 Verizon Ellipsis Jetpack 900L hotspots to award to districts through a competitive grant.The OSDE intends for these hotspots to be used to provide connectivity to students who do not currently have an internet connection at home to access online learning content for purposes of distance learning. In addition, the OSDE intends for these hotspots to be used to serve low-income students to help bridge the digital divide.
Links:
Verizon Education Information for Oklahoma School Districts Only: