This is to inform you that the Nevada COVID-19 Response, Relief and Recovery Task Force, in coordination with community partners, will be launching a statewide initiative to connect our students with Internet service and devices.
The Connecting Kids Nevada campaign will be launched this Wednesday with the media. The campaign will invite parents to participate in the district survey to assess the need. It will also promote a newly created Family Support Center (FSC), that will have live operators, Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to connect families with devices and connectivity. This center is programmed to be active for sixty to ninety days starting tomorrow.
A website, ConnectingKidsNV.org, is now live and will be updated on an ongoing basis.
The District will subsidize in-home Internet connections for families without in-home Internet connectivity who meet certain eligibility requirements through the 2020-2021 school year. The District subsidy will cover 100% of the family’s costs of the in-home Internet service during the school year. A variety of connection options are available; the FSC will help determine the appropriate options to meet the needs of the families requesting service.
Additionally, the letter below is scheduled to be shared with all elected officials tomorrow. Please note this is a draft and minor changes may occur.
CCSD is working closely with these community partners. We will keep you informed of developments.
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DRAFT – Potential Changes May Occur
Dear Community Leaders,
We are honored to share information that will be released publicly tomorrow about a new, urgent statewide initiative called Connecting Kids Nevada.
The ambition is simple and bold: to connect every Nevada student in need with reliable internet and a device before the first day of school, and to confirm that all 500,000 students in Nevada are equipped and ready to learn. To this end, the Department of Education has been working around the clock with all 17 school districts and the State Charter Authority to track student connection down to the individual student level, statewide.
Yesterday, a Family Support Center (FSC), with live operators Mon-Sat, 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., began helping CCSD families connect to the internet and a device. Thanks to a partnership with Cox Communications, every qualified CCSD student will receive internet service for the entire school year, subsidized by CCSD.
Families outside Clark County and throughout Nevada can call the FSC and receive information regarding help available from their school district.
Here’s how you can help:
- Push the website — ConnectingKidsNV.org — through all your communication channels
- Direct any parent in the state who needs help providing their child with access to the internet or a device to the FSC — 1-888-616-2476
- Join the coalition by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/xjift9tCeXB9BHfp6
Between August 17 and September 8, every student in Nevada will start school. Thank you in advance for your support of Connecting Kids Nevada, and thank you to Communities in Schools Nevada and The Public Education Foundation for their partnership in this effort.
Let’s mobilize our entire state to ensure that every child is connected to a teacher on the first day. We can do this!
With gratitude,
Jim Murren
Chair, Nevada COVID-19 Response, Relief and Recovery Task Force
Elaine Wynn
President, Nevada State Board of Education