Dear Hudson Families,
In an effort to provide more student households with internet access, the Hudson City School District applied to participate in the ConnectED NY program. The program will provide free hotspots and data plans to students with no or unreliable internet service at home. The goal of the ConnectED NY program is to provide 50,000 hotspots to economically disadvantaged students throughout New York State. The Hudson City School District was listed among 210 NYS school districts eligible to receive no-cost internet hotspots for one year.
If you do not have internet access at home, or if your home internet is not sufficient for participating in remote learning, and you want to request a free ConnectED NY hotspot for your child(ren), please complete this application form and return it to the main office of your child’s school by Thursday, April 1, 2021. Families may request hotspots for each student (a separate application must be completed for each student requesting a hotspot). If your child already has a district-issued hotspot, they are not required to return it to the school in order to receive a ConnectED NY hotspot (however school-issued hotspots must be returned with Chromebooks at the end of the school year).
Mobile hotspots provide a secure internet connection for various devices. With the hotspots, households will be offered unlimited data from May 2021 through June 2022 at no cost. Coverage will be provided by AT&T (other providers may be used, as needed). There are no contracts for families. The hotspots contain filters compliant with the Child Internet Protection Act to ensure children are blocked from accessing offensive or dangerous internet content.
To request a free hotspot through the ConnectED NY program, please complete this application form and return it to the main office of your child’s school by Thursday, April 1, 2021. If you are unable to return the completed form in person, scan both sheets or take photos of both sheets and submit them via email to:
- Candice Strattman, MCSES Main Office, strattmanc@hudsoncsd.org
- Courtney McDonald, HJHS Main Office, mcdonaldc@hudsoncsd.org
- Heather Brown, HSHS Main Office, brownh@hudsoncsd.org
By completing the form, you will be giving permission for the District to provide the following information to AT&T (or another service provider if AT&T does not reach your home) and Digital Promise, the non-profit organization that manages the ConnectED NY program:
- Student name and address (to allow wireless internet coverage to reach your home)
- Student mailing address (so the hotspot(s) can be shipped directly to the student(s), if needed)
- Your name and contact information
About ConnectED NY: The ConnectED NY program is managed by Digital Promise, a non-profit organization dedicated to closing the “digital divide,” and funded by Schmidt Futures and the Ford Foundation.