By Mike Sunnucks | Rose Law Group Reporter
The city of Chandler has approved a $250,000 allocation to buy 1,000 new mobile hot spots to help students with internet access.
The Chandler City Council approved allocating the $250,000 to the Chandler Unified School District to purchase the hot spots. The district, like many in Arizona and other states, is starting off the school year online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds are coming from Chandler $30 million allocation from the federal CARES Act.
School districts are trying to figure out to navigate COVID-19, teachers and staff concerns about the virus and some parents and elected official support for reopening schools.
Arizona has 194,005 COVID cases and 4,506 deaths though the number of hospitalizations and COVID patients in intensive care units has been decreasing. Arizona does have the 7th most overall COVID-19 cases and the third highest rate of cases per 100,000 residents, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Another study by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association found Arizona has the highest rate of children with COVID per 100,000 persons.