GALION — Galion City Schools will expand its One-to-One device program beginning with the 2020-21 school year. The plan includesgiving all Galion students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade a personal device.
The goal of expanding the district’s already successful One-To-One program is to provide an extra level of safety for students and their families.
“We know that the COVID-19 virus isn’t going away anytime soon,” Ronnie Rinehart, Galion’s director of technology, said. “Providing each student with their own device — especially at the Primary School — adds another level of hygiene safety because students will not be sharing devices from mobile carts as in past years.”
Seventh- through 12th-grade students will be able to take devices home daily when the new school year begins. Sixth-grade students will begin taking devices home at the end of the first nine weeks. Elementary students will have their own, individually assigned device that will remain in the classroom at the end of each school day.
“In the event that we need to move to a virtual setting, we will have the ability to send the devices home with all students and plan to do so should the need arise,” Rinehart said.
The district took an additional step to expand its technology footprint by adding a wireless internet access point outside Galion High School.
“The addition of this wireless internet access point provides our students and families with increased accessibility to the internet and online learning activities in the event we have to move to a virtual setting,” incoming Galion Superintendent Jennifer Allerding said. “As we plan for the opening of the year and provide various options for our families, we want to have multiple resources available and this is one way we can provide support.“
