Since the start of the pandemic, Quitman School District has been doing everything it can to assist its students so that they can get the best education possible. The district identified a major problem early on when schools had to transition to virtual learning, and knew they needed to do something to help fix the problem.
“Our big concern was not having kids in school, and there was hardly any connectivity available countywide,” stated Dr. Minnie Dace, Federal Programs Director for Quitman School District.
The district set a goal to use funds provided through the CARES Act (ESSER) to help provide connectivity options to all the students in the district, and they have achieved just that by placing school buses with internet access at strategic places in the county. Most of the buses are placed at local fire departments, and only two are placed at a different location.
“We said at the beginning of the year that we wanted to make everybody one-to-one on technology and provide students with connectivity. This is how we’re finishing that plan. We’re already one-to-one on devices,” explained Dr. Dace. “We have 12 buses that we’ve put out in the community. I met with Eddie Ivy about the fire departments, and he helped me figure out which ones would be best. Then, we took it before the Board of Supervisors to get permission to place the buses in those locations. The Board of Supervisors gave us permission and partnered with us to be able to use the different fire departments in the communities.”
The buses that are being used are not used on a daily basis to transfer students to and from school. In fact, some of the buses no longer function. The school chose to use these particular buses so that students will always have access to the internet.
“They will have access to the buses at all times. We want them to be able to go if they need to in early morning, mid-day, after school, or whenever. We want them to have access,” said Dr. Dace. “If a bus is gone or it’s down, it would be because we have to charge batteries or something like that. Other than that, the buses should always be out there. That’s why we used the buses we did: it gives some stability.”
The school did purchase a limited number of personal hotspots that can be checked out through the school library; however, the hotspots will only be released on a case-by-case basis since there are only a limited number. The best access to the internet that the district is able to supply is through the buses.
“The best bang for our bucks was the buses because more people can connect that way. There’s probably enough connectivity for 30 to 35 people at a time that way,” stated Dr. Dace. “We put more into the smart buses equipment to be able to provide more service. Whatever was left was used to purchase additional hotspots.”
There is a password needed to access the internet at the buses, and students are able to obtain that password from their teacher or an administrator at the school.
There is only one requirement that must be met in order to use the internet: Do not block the doors or driveways to the fire departments. The fire trucks must have a clear exit, and people should be able to come in and out at all times for safety reasons.
If there is ever an issue with connectivity, please call and report the issue to Dr. Dace at 601-776-2186 so that she can send someone to take care of the problem. Also, please be aware that there may be some issues from time to time like with any internet service, so please be patient with the school as they do what they can to give all students the best opportunities they can to receive a great education.
The smart buses are located at the following places within the county:
Rolling Creek Fire Department
DeSoto Fire Department
Harmony Fire Department
East Quitman Fire Department
Stonewall Fire Department
Pachuta Community Center
Shubuta Fire Department
Carmichael Fire Department
Beaverdam Fire Department
Rocky-Mt. Gilead Church
Hopewell Fire Department
Theadville Fire Department
