Gadsden schools create mobile hotspot buses to bring internet to students
CHAMBERINO, New Mexico -- Living in rural areas around the Borderland can present problems for students. Especially when the only way to go to school is virtual learning and there is no Internet available.
The Gadsden Independent School District officials developed a strategy: Mobile hotspot buses. The district has mounted four wireless routers to the dashboards of four buses and placed them around district areas that are plagued with poor internet service.
"It could be a lot quicker using the Internet from the bus instead of the other Internets that they give us," said Gadsden Middle School student Klarritza Castro
The buses will be parked from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on weekdays. Sites include: the San Luis Catholic Church (206 S. San Luis Ave.) in the Chamberino area; in Anapra, the bus location is 120 Calle Hidalgo at the vacant lot; and in Chaparral, the bus location is 2360 Desert Ave.
They even had social distancing in mind when they put the plan together.
Superintendent Travis Dempsey said, "Parents can pull up in a vehicle, they don't have to get out. They can access the signal, download any work they may have, go home, get it done and then come back and upload it."
If you know a student who cannot access the internet, the Gadsden Independent School District can be reached at 575-882-6200. They will be available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
