Local company helps provide internet access to students at Harrison School District 2
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- When Harrison School District 2 switched to e-learning last spring, they made sure to provide each student with a laptop and the tools needed to succeed at home. But one lingering need in many households was internet access.
Christine O’Brien, Spokesperson for District 2 said, “When you had multiple people learning and working from home, sometimes there were connectivity glitches. We wanted to avoid that and make sure we had equity in our district and that our families could learn from home as well.”
O'Brien says that this year they made sure to survey each of their students to see who exactly needed the internet. They discovered that about a thousand families needed some sort of internet connection.
“This year we were really specific to say, do you have internet service at home without a phone? So how many families actually had a modem or had some sort of internet at home.”
And that’s where Altia comes into play. A local software company heard there was an internet shortage for students and it stepped in to see how they can help. Teaming with local foundations and Comcast they were able to provide a monthly internet service that allows multiple people to have internet access at the same time.
Mike Juran, CEO of Altia said, “At Altia we talked to Randy Rocha at District 2 and I just put out an email to friends and people that I knew and that made its way back to Pikes Peak Community Foundation and Norwood and people spread that around. Within weeks we were able to get something done.”
Overall, District 2 says they are extremely thankful for the help and how quickly things came together after Altia got involved.
“You know for the community come together and help us piece this part, we worked so hard as a school district to get those devices into the hands of students but this was a piece that we weren’t ready to do. We hadn’t budgeted for, so for the community come together to help our families in this way is really truly amazing,” said O'Brien.
