Skip to main content

Columbia Business Monthly

Google, State Superintendent Molly Spearman Bring Wifi School Buses to Lexington

Yesterday, Google and State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman hosted an event in Lexington, SC celebrating the launch of Google’s Rolling Study Halls program, an initiative that brings Wi-Fi to students with long commutes in 16 communities across the country.

Google provides each school district with Wi-Fi (via fully-functional school buses), computers, and onboard educators for the school buses. The new program helps students reclaim more than 1.5 million hours of learning time that would otherwise be lost during long bus commutes.

State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced the program’s arrival at Pelion Middle School alongside students and administrators who use the outfitted buses daily during the 2018–2019 school year.

“We are excited that Google has partnered with Lexington School District One to bring the Rolling Study Hall program to students in Pelion,” said Spearman. “This program acts as an extended classroom and helps promote student achievement while students are still on the bus going to and from school each day.”

“We’re so thrilled to have Superintendent Spearman join us here in Lexington to celebrate the newest Rolling Study Halls district,” said Alex Sanchez, a spokesperson for Google. “It’s important for students everywhere to have access to the tools they need to learn every day.”

According to AEI, one out of four U.S. students are educated today in schools defined as rural, which means that more than 10 million students may not have reliable access to an internet connection at home for schoolwork. In partnership with CoSN (Consortium for School Networking), Google is working closely with districts to start closing that homework gap for thousands of students across the country.

Rolling Study Halls is part of Grow with Google, a new initiative to help create economic opportunities for Americans. The program aims to give people across the United States resources to grow their skills, careers, and businesses by offering free tools, training, and events. To learn more about Rolling Study Halls, please visit g.co/rollingstudyhalls.