Holyoke Public Schools, working in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, have negotiated a contract with Comcast to provide 6 months of internet access to families of HPS students who do not currently have at home connectivity. Sign-up for these services opened yesterday, April 13th, and follows the wide-scale distribution of Chromebooks to students that took place in March. HPS families who are interested should call the HPS hotline at 413-561-0862 (English) or 413-314-3560 (Spanish) to get a promotional code on or before April 30th. A district representative will provide a code for sign-up; or will call back if a message is left.
Families of Holyoke Public School students are eligible so long as they have not had Comcast service in the past 90 days. A previous restriction that barred families from accessing service if they had outstanding debt with Comcast, was the main sticking point in negotiations, and was recently waived nationwide. “We knew immediately that internet access for families would be a big challenge for our students, and the debt requirement was a major hurdle, especially in these trying times,” said Superintendent Stephen Zrike, “I want to thank Mayor Morse and the team in City Hall for helping to facilitate this agreement which ensures access for many of our Holyoke students.”
The service from Comcast, administered through their “Internet Essentials” program will include 6 months of free access covered by the city, after which families can continue service month-to-month for $9.95, or cancel the service to avoid billing. Families will also have access to reduced cost computers at a rate of $149.99+ tax, and free Digital Literacy Training. Holyoke teachers will continue on-line programming for students throughout the duration of school closures.
“I am glad that we have found a temporary solution to support many families in Holyoke, yet access to reliable internet can no longer be considered a luxury, but a basic service to be provided by public utilities. The Coronavirus Pandemic has brought further light to the widening inequalities and lack of access in our community and around the country” said Mayor Alex Morse. “Online education, work-from-home, telemedicine, and staying connected with friends and loved ones are not passing trends, they are part of our evolving reality. We will be continuing our conversations and planning efforts with the HG&E, HPS, and others on how we can develop a more permanent community-scale solution towards universal internet connectivity. I want to thank the teachers and staff of Holyoke Public Schools who are fighting the challenges of inequality every day, and I am grateful for their continued advocacy and support for their students and families.
Additional details on how to sign up for the program are available at the following link: https://www.hps.holyoke.ma.us/2020/04/10/free-6-months-of-internet-service-for-eligible-hps-families/
