Free WiFi is now available in all school parking lots in Stafford County.
Lime green signage in all the school parking lots mark where these outdoor WiFi hotspots are available.
Users can drive up, park their cars, and access the WiFi from the safety of their individual vehicles.
The school division is providing wireless internet service at no charge, for student and family use, after Gov. Ralph Northam closed schools on March 13 for the rest of the academic year due to the coronavirus spread.
There were already some WiFi hotspots outside of the schools for busses. The county converted their preexisting WiFi network to be accessible from outside the buildings.
It cost the county $30 per school to put the WiFi signs up that mark where to access the WiFi from the parking lot.
Potomac Local News visited six schools in the county and found that only one sign, Falmouth Elementary’s, was in good condition. The signs were either bent and/or had fallen over at Drew Middle, Stafford High, Conway Elementary, and Grafton Elementary. There was no sign locatable at Dixon Smith Middle.
The school system has filters on the WiFi that prevent inappropriate usage and blocks certain types of content.
The signage has helped increase the usage of the WiFi, according to Jay Cooke, Interim Executive Director of Technology. Still, not as many people are using the network as they did when schools were open.
Potomac Local News asked for data on the numbers of students using the WiFi, but received this response:
“We have several technologies for monitoring use of our network, but for security reasons we are unable to discuss them,” Cooke said.
The school system has also provided 300 hotspots to families across the county. This hotspot program was already in place, and the about $20 per month cost covered by the school division, was already factored into the monthly service fee.
These hotspots allow for 500 MB per day, and the content is filtered similarly to the school networks. This means, no Netflix.
“Unfortunately, we have used all we have, and it is difficult to purchase more as most companies are out of stock,” Cooke said. “We have been checking [the hotspots] out to anyone who has asked.”
