Free Tablets with Internet are Coming for Rapides Parish Students

A local nonprofit has partnered with Public Wireless as well as the Rapides Parish School Board to bring free tablets with Internet access to thousands of students in Rapides.  ABC 31 News’ Joel Massey has more on the program and how you can apply.

Clarence Reed said, “To me it’s a great honor that God would use me to be an outreach source to kids that need to further their education.”

Reed has been working with students in Rapides Parish since 2018 through a non-profit he founded called C&R Mentors.  Now he is instrumental in bringing a program to the parish where students can get a free tablet with wireless Internet.  The program is called Affordable Connectivity and most Rapides Parish students qualify because the parish participates in the Community Eligibility Program which allows the nation’s highest-poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to enrolled students.

“We noticed that a lot of times kids would get homework and they need material off the Internet that could help them complete their assignments so it’s a great feeling and I’m just very excited to be a part of giving back to my community.”

Reed says Internet access at home is important for student success.

“I means now when they go home they have another avenue of getting resources to do their math, science projects, English.  Whatever they need to do with it, there’s a resource for them to be able to do that now so it won’t be like we don’t have WiFi at home so I can’t get online and look for it.  The WiFi is free.  The tablet is free.  It’s free WiFi through AT&T and the tablet is a lifetime warranty on top of that.”

A student must be registered via an online application. For a student to register, visit https://publicwireless.jotform.com/Kris/rapides-parrish-schools or for more information about the program, visit https://share.synthesia.io/165291f4-1e5a-44d9-9b0e-a9db05f6e26d.