Sally D. Meadows Elementary School has been awarded over $140,000.00 in the form of a digital learning grant from the Georgia Department of Education. The grant is part of $21.5 million that will be distributed to school districts across the state to help with their digital/distance learning infrastructure. Sally D. Meadows Principal Scott Stephens said that the school received a total of $145,389.00 that will go toward purchasing Chromebooks which will enable them to not only use during school but also during times that students are away from school as has happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without the grant, Stephens said that it more than likely would have been three years in the future before they could reach the goal of one to one.
Stephens said the next goal is to apply for other grants which would put Hotspots in each student’s hands that will help with the internet connection problems that some many face.
The grants which are being distributed to 55 school districts across the state are federal school improvement funds and were targeted for underserved schools across the state that may have limited internet access and don’t have enough electronic devices for students, a problem which was present before schools were closed across the state because of the Coronavirus.
Governor Brian Kemp said. “These grants will provide much-needed support as they continue to navigate changing educational landscapes, and I want Georgia’s educators and students to know that they have our complete support in these challenging times.”
Vidalia City School Superintendent Dr. Garrett Wilcox said that the awarding of the grant is a huge boost to the system in light of the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic and should a similar situation arise in the future, the students of Sally D. Meadows Elementary School will be prepared to carry on with their education through digital media.
No other schools in the Vidalia City School System nor schools in Toombs, Montgomery or Wheeler counties qualified to receive a portion of the grant funds.
