Technology and Connectivity

Access to technology is essential for the successful roll-out of this plan. The Garrison Union Free School District has been committed to ongoing planning and implementation of District technologies to ensure equitable access for staff and students. The team has initiated plans that are mindful of student home access to reliable internet and computers.

• Last spring, the District gathered data on the level of access teachers and families had to devices and high-speed broadband from their residence. The District will continue to assess the ongoing needs of our families for technology and connectivity (survey, interviews, school outreach, etc.). In the event, students and/or teachers do not have access, the District will take the necessary steps to meet their needs where plausible.

• An inventory of equipment and other assets has been conducted.

• Identify which students, families, and staff have District assets in their possession.

• Procure, manage and/or maintain hardware, software, licenses, learning management systems, etc. to support and improve remote instruction and student engagement.

• Identify professional learning needs for teachers and continue to support their development of skills and pedagogy in a remote learning environment.

• Arrange a “Helpdesk” system for parents/students/teachers to report technical issues that might be experienced during remote learning.

• Communicate protocols to stakeholders to inform them in advance of how to gain assistance in such cases.

The Garrison Union Free School District will provide all students with access to learning materials and resources in multiple formats, wherever possible. Further, the District will support teachers through professional development and coaching on pedagogical methods that enable students to participate in multiple ways, so that they can demonstrate mastery of Learning Standards in remote or blended models through the use of both synchronous and asynchronous technologies. In the event students do not have sufficient access to devices and/or high-speed internet, the District will provide the students with alternate methods to access materials and instruction, i.e. pick up materials at school, drop off materials to students’ homes, etc. The District will also schedule opportunities to connect with families to educate them on how to use the technologies and connect to the instructional activities.