Connecting Students on the Go: Sidney City Schools Provides Students with Improved Digital Access and Increased Safety on Their School Buses

After implementing Premier’s ConnectED Bus – Bus Wi-Fi solution on their school buses, Sidney City Schools saw immediate benefits. Students utilized the internet for research, homework, and accessing educational content, turning their commute time into an extension of their classroom learning. Connecting their bus cameras to real-time internet access improved school bus safety, providing real-time monitoring and ensuring a secure environment. The district received positive feedback from the community, highlighting the program’s success in enhancing educational opportunities and supporting student achievement.

"If we ever have issues on the bus or the road, thanks to the Wi-Fi-enabled cameras, we can access a live or recorded feed and act on it a lot quicker than hearsay or a day later,” said Sidney City Schools Transportation Director, Ron Monroe.

The Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), available during the COVID-19 pandemic, funded the project, which provided the necessary financial support to implement this essential technology. Today, E-Rate will provide the necessary funding to ensure long-term sustainability.

By partnering with Premier and leveraging federal funding, Sidney City Schools has taken a significant step toward ensuring all students have the resources they need to succeed, no matter where they are, while improving the safety and security of their school’s transportation system.

Installing Premier’s ConnectED Bus— Bus Wi-Fi solution on Sidney City Schools’ school buses has led to significant positive outcomes. Students can now access online resources, complete homework, and engage in educational activities during their commutes.

“Some of the students have over an hour’s commute each way to their homes or games, allowing them to do homework during that time. The students, especially those on the sports teams who are out late at night, say they like it. There have been lots of comments there about the usefulness and availability of it,” said Monroe.

The availability of Wi-Fi transformed idle commuting time into productive study periods, helping students stay on top of their assignments. The district helped bridge the digital divide by providing internet access on buses, ensuring all students have equal opportunities to utilize digital learning tools. In addition, the ConnectED Bus – Bus Wi-Fi solution also enabled reliable surveillance capabilities that contributed to the overall safety of students and bus drivers.

The Premier 5G Network-in-a-Box provides on-the-spot connectivity and maintains an uninterrupted connection and communication, offering data-driven decisions: and providing availability, timeliness, and accuracy. Simply open the box, turn it on, and open the vents. You are ready to go!