FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 • KIDS & EDUCATION • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
FO Rk BiRdEAsK IN&G NeEWdSu VIScITa WtWiWo.QnNS.COM SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
NYC schools receive federal funding to
increase internet access for students
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Aft er many students lacked internet
NYC Catholic school students start new social justice curriculum
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELLDOMENECH
adomenech@schnepsmedia.com
@AODNewz
Catholic school students in Brooklyn
and Queens will have a new social justice
curriculum integrating into their religion
classes this fall, the Diocese of Brooklyn
announced earlier this week.
“As students and teachers of faith, it is
critical that we commit to reinforcing and
advancing the values of respect of each
other, and love of our fellow man,” said
Dr. Th omas Chadzutko, superintendent
of schools for the DioceseofBrooklyn. “It
is important to teach our students the lessons
of acceptance, tolerance and understanding
if we are to look to bring an end
to the tension and uneasiness that exists
in our society due to racism.”
Th e new curriculum was craft ed by
the Diocesan Commission on Racism
and Social Justice which was formed by
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzo in 2017 aft er a
woman taking part in an anti-racism protest
in Charlottesville, VA, died when a
neo-Nazi drove his car into the crowd of
demonstrators.
Students began the curriculum’s fi rst
section, “Solidarity” this week and will
share personal stories “establish a greater
sense of connection,” according to a statement
from the diocese.
Th e following is a list of all the curriculum’s
sections:
September: Solidarity, All are Welcome
and Loved
October: Call to Family, Community
and Participation
November: Dignity of Work and Rights
for Workers
December: Celebrations Around the
World
January: Option for the Poor and
Vulnerable
February: Rights and Responsibilities,
Black History Month
March: Rights and Responsibilities,
Women’s History
April: Care for God’s Creation
May: Life and Dignity of the Human
Person
June: Being Leaders in Faith
access to do their school work
remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak,
Congresswoman Grace Meng
announced on Friday, Sept. 24, that New
York City schools have been awarded
millions of dollars in federal funding
to connect students to the internet.
In March, Meng and Senator Ed
Markey (D-Massachusetts), helped to
obtain more than $7 billion in E-Rate
Emergency Connectivity Funding for
schools to provide Wi-Fi hotspots,
modems, routers, internet service and
internet-enabled devices so that students
can obtain internet access during
the COVID-19 crisis.
Th ese funds include more than $192
million for New York
City schools, and nearly
$739,000 for some
schools in Meng’s district
in Queens.
When
the application period opened in June,
Meng urged schools to seek funding.
“During the pandemic, we have seen
how crucial internet access has been for
learning and completing assignments.
During remote learning, it was essential.
It is unacceptable and unconscionable
that millions of students across
the country, including many in New
York, still don’t have access to the internet,
and this lack of connectivity continues
to be a barrier to academic success,”
Meng said. “Each and every student
deserves to have the tools they need
to succeed, and that includes being able
to get online.”
Meng thanked and commended Jessica
Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Acting
Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), and her team for supporting and
administering the vital program.
“Too many kids struggle without the
broadband they need for nightly schoolwork.
Th e homework gap is the cruelest
part of our digital divide. But the FCC
has new tools to fi x it,” Rosenworcel
said. “Today, the FCC
announced $1.2
b i l -
lion in Emergency Connectivity Fund
support is headed to thousands of
schools and libraries to help, including
many across New York. I’m grateful for
Congresswoman’s Meng’s commitment
to ensuring 100 percent of us have the
aff ordable internet access we need for
modern-day success, including our students.”
Th e E-Rate Emergency Connectivity
Fund money that Meng helped secure
was included in the American Rescue
Plan, the most recent coronavirus
relief package passed by congressional
Democrats and signed into law in March
by President Biden.
Th e fi rst wave of funding that the FCC
is allocating under the program includes
more than $1.2 billion for more than
3,000 schools and libraries to connect
over 3.6 million students to the internet.
In July, Meng, Markey and Senator
Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) – along with
other Senators and House members
– introduced the Securing Universal
Communications Connectivity to
Ensure Students Succeed (SUCCESS)
Act to build on the success of securing
funding.
The money would extend the
Emergency Connectivity Fund by providing
$8 billion a year over fi ve years
— for a total of $40 billion — in order
to continue providing Wi-Fi hotspots,
modems, routers and internetenabled
devices to students following
the COVID-19 crisis.
AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus, File
Photo via
Getty Images
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