MADISON COUNTY, ALABAMA, Ala. — Facebook announced a gift of $939,000 for Madison County Schools to provide digital technology to every student in the school system.
Superintendent Allen Perkins stated, “Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, our school district immediately went into action to implement a distance learning plan for all students. We realized a significant portion of our students did not have access to internet connectivity and devices. Facebook is donating these funds to help make broader connectivity and equitable access a reality. We couldn't be more thrilled to have such an amazing community partner.”
“Huntsville is our home and we are honored to partner with the Madison County School System to provide immediate relief to students and families,” said Katie Comer, Community Development Regional Manager, Facebook. “We are committed to investing in the long-term vitality of this community, and we hope this partnership will help students continue their education from home.”
Facebook has been a member of the community since 2018 when they broke ground on their data center in Huntsville.
In addition to helping with devices, Facebook’s gift includes funding to install mobile WiFi on school buses as well as access points to extend the WiFi range at schools. The school district plans to retrofit more than 90 buses with WiFi.
The generosity of Facebook will allow Madison County students to connect digitally in a broader variety of locations and will provide additional devices to enhance their 1:1 device-to-student capacity. All of this will help to close the digital divide for many of their students.The Madison County School System has 29 schools serving nearly 20,000 students.
"The district is the top performing large school system in Alabama while being funded in the bottom 15% in the state. This makes this partnership with Facebook and other local businesses critical to help us meet the unique needs of educating our students during these challenging circumstances. This gift of nearly one million dollars is a game-changer for our district, and empowers us to provide the highest quality education for our students,” Perkins added.
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