Garden City Public Schools roll out WiFi on buses

Garden City, Kan (WesternKansasNews.com) – Sometimes a school bus is more than just a school bus. In Garden City Public Schools, it’s now a rolling WiFi hotspot. This summer the district’s Technology and Transportation departments worked together to get WiFi installed on all USD 457 buses.

If you have a child who rides the bus to school, there’s no excuse now for them not doing homework on those long trips. The connections are now available to any student who wishes to use their time to do homework on the bus to be connected to the internet.

“We felt it was important to offer this service to our students who need access and ability to use the time they have riding to and from school to complete their school assignments,” said Charlie Stillian, the district’s transportation director. “This will be especially useful for our students who are traveling long distances or to games and other school activities.”

The district’s iPads will connect to the WiFi just as if they are in a classroom at school. There are filter and access settings in place that are compliant to school district policy and can be further managed by the school district’s technology department.

This opportunity to install WiFi on the school buses was made possible through Emergency Connectivity Funding, which provides dollars for connectivity for remote learning.

The first day of school for the 2022-23 school year will be Wednesday, August 17th, with a half-day orientation for students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade, seventh grade, ninth and tenth grades and all students new to Garden City Public Schools. The first full day of school for the district will be Thursday, August 18, 2022. All classes will be in session for the start of the 2022-23 school year.