SAN GABRIEL, CA – San Gabriel Unified School District has been awarded a T-Mobile EmpowerED grant to aid in its efforts to improve digital access for students and narrow the achievement gap.

The $260,000 award will help fund 1,000 devices and mobile broadband lines, which will be distributed among San Gabriel Unified’s eight schools. The grant will build on progress made by the District’s 1:1 device initiative – which ensures every student has access to a device in the classroom – by addressing the digital divide at home.

“San Gabriel Unified has made great strides in increasing access to technology in the classroom, but it is just as important to ensure students in need have access to that technology at home,” SGUSD Superintendent Dr. John Pappalardo said. “Thank you to T-Mobile for the support of our efforts and to the teachers, administrators and staff who worked tirelessly to bring this opportunity to our students.”

District and school officials discovered that some students struggle to complete homework – especially assignments submitted online – because they do not have tech devices and/or internet access at home.

The District’s goal is to ensure English learners, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and homeless and foster youth are equipped with devices. Each school will devise its own checkout system for the devices, which will be equipped with the District’s content-filtering system and secured so that only District equipment can connect to them.

San Gabriel Unified is the final school district to receive the grant through the EmpowerED program, which concludes this year.

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San Gabriel Unified is receiving a $260,000 T-Mobile EmpowerED grant for 1,000 devices and mobile broadband lines, aiding District efforts to improve digital access and narrow the achievement gap.