The district expects installation work to begin in September and be completed later this fall.
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Public Schools district will soon install Wi-Fi on all of its school buses, it announced Thursday.
The district hopes the new technology will benefit student-athletes who travel for competitions, as well as students who are “transient or unhoused families.”
“Many of our students spend a lot of time on our school buses,” Transportation Director Samantha Soniksen said in a statement. “Now they will have the opportunity to access Wi-Fi and complete their homework for the next day.”
The new service comes after the Federal Communications Commission announced that E-Rate funds can be used to cover 90% of the cost of internet connectivity on buses.
More than 14,000 students and faculty will benefit from the free Wi-Fi being added to more than 135 school buses across the district.
Enabling Wi-Fi on buses allows school districts to monitor bus cameras in case of emergencies, and drivers and school bus personnel can use Wi-Fi to find alternate routes during traffic jams.
“We live in a time when Wi-Fi is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” Vice Chancellor Matt Smith said in a statement. “Equipping our buses with Wi-Fi will make them safer on the road and ensure all students have equal access to the learning resources they need while on the road.”
The district expects installation work to begin in September and be completed later this fall.
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