Madison Consolidated Schools implemented an eLearning day yesterday. The school used its fleet to provide Wi-Fi to students who may not have internet access at home so they could do their classwork from the comfort of their homes on the cold winter day. The buses’ Wi-Fi is used by students on their way to extracuricular activities regularly, but this is only the second time the buses were spread throughout the county to provide access while the students were at home. The bus (above) was parked on the east end of downtown in front of the old Eggleston School. Today is another snow day, but not an eLearning day. The buses will provide Wi-Fi for nearby students at least through today. (Staff photo by Tali Hunt/thunt@madisoncourier.com)
Madison Consolidated Schools implemented an eLearning day yesterday. The school used its fleet to provide Wi-Fi to students who may not have internet access at home so they could do their classwork from the comfort of their homes on the cold winter day. The buses’ Wi-Fi is used by students on their way to extracuricular activities regularly, but this is only the second time the buses were spread throughout the county to provide access while the students were at home. The bus (above) was parked on the east end of downtown in front of the old Eggleston School. Today is another snow day, but not an eLearning day. The buses will provide Wi-Fi for nearby students at least through today. (Staff photo by Tali Hunt/thunt@madisoncourier.com)
Madison Consolidated Schools buses were parked throughout Jefferson County Tuesday morning to allow students without internet access at home to participate in an inclement weather eLearning day.

Buses with Wi-Fi routers were parked in Brooksburg, Canaan, Windridge Apartments, the O.V.O parking lot, downtown at the old Eggleston Elementary School and throughout the Deputy area, where buses are parked either at the school or at the bus driver’s residence.

“I got this idea from a different school system in a different state, but I just thought it was a great idea to try to bridge the gap for kids who don’t have internet at their house,” said Jennifer Watson, MCS’s technology coordinator.

MCS students should be able to connect their school-issued devices to the Wi-Fi from 800 to 1,000 feet away from the bus. The public will not be able to access the wireless internet. Student login information is required with the school-issued devices.

MCS teachers are available to their students all day throughout eLearning days via email, Google Classroom and even the teachers’ personal phone numbers if they choose to share them, according to Watson.

The routers will provide Wi-Fi 24/7 to their surrounding areas as long as they are parked there. The buses do not need to be running for the router to work, according to Ron Green, a school corporation employee who delivered a bus to Third and East streets, just in front of the old Eggleston School.

This is the second time the school corporation has used its fleet to help provide internet for a required eLearning day. MCS students will not have to make up Tuesday’s snow day thanks to the eLearning day.
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