WiFi in Arizona School Buses Promotes Classroom Environment


By Sylvia Arroyo School buses have long been known as the preferred vehicle to take


students to the classroom. Now they’re being used as the classroom. “We found that when kids could have Internet access in the


school bus they would work on their homework and finish it be- fore they got home,” said John Nunes, transportation supervisor for the Vail School District in Arizona. “Students also can get their class preparations before they arrive to school.” Te school dis- trict first installed WiFi on one of its buses two years ago and now has three operating buses with Internet connectivity. Recently, 25 school districts across the country have followed


in the footsteps of Vail School District to offer WiFi in some of its school buses. Benefits are particularly being seen during the longest routes to and from school, sports programs and other extra-curricular activities. WiFi helps students research for school assignments and offers “clean” Internet surfing, which in turn re- sults in less chatter and other activities that can distract bus drivers. “Students are more engaged in the kinds of things we want


them to do academically,” said Nunes. “It’s better time utiliza- tion. Tey’re happier, and the driver doesn’t have any peripheral distractions.” Vail School District’s three WiFi buses transport students to


and from Empire High School, an all-digital school that opened in the fall of 2005. Te school offers wireless Internet access throughout the campus and, instead of textbooks, laptops to incoming freshmen. Students use those laptops for all of their studies until they graduate. Vail School District’s 17 schools serve students who live in


suburban and rural areas, covering almost 520 square miles, so it is common for some of bus routes to be longer than an hour. Adding to that are the long bus rides home for some Empire stu- dent-athletes after they compete. School district officials began to see how time on the bus was time lost learning. For the first WiFi installation, Nunes found a company, Au-


tonet, that loaned routers to the school district, and since Empire high students already had laptops, the school district didn’t spend much to initiate a WiFi pilot project. Many other schools may not be as technology-savvy as Em-


pire, yet they plan on offering WiFi in their school buses. School districts from California to Texas, Minnesota and the Carolinas contacted Autonet after learning about the Vail School District’s WiFi pilot project. Beginning with one or a few buses can make it easier for school districts to raise the money to pay for the wire-


Students from Empire High School in southern Arizona work on their homework assignments while using WiFi that’s installed on the school bus.


less routers — Autonet routers cost $400 each — and laptops needed for a limited number of students. Having WiFi in school buses stems from the highly publicized


Aspirnaut Initiative originally conceived by Vanderbilt University biochemist Bill Hudson. Te three-year pilot program, which ended last year, brought laptops, iPods and WiFi to Sheridan (Ark.) School District’s rural school buses. Dwight Simpson, director of maintenance and transportation


for Sheridan School District, said some good things came out of the program, but in the end the interest and number of partici- pants gradually faded. However, he added, “Tere are certainly places where this would be a great application, especially if there is good reception.” In Sheridan’s case, the school district itself did not launch the


Aspirnaut Initiative, and the program was not viewed as a long- term solution. In the case of Empire High, Nunes said adding WiFi to some of its school buses seemed like a natural extension to the school’s all-digital learning approach. “Te school district as a whole is willing to think outside the


box, and we have a corporate culture that promotes looking for innovation,” he said. “Te transportation of the student should be considered a major piece of our educational system.” ■


International Version of Mobile Classrooms While American school districts are offering WiFi in its school buses, other countries are installing seats, desks and chalkboards


inside school buses, creating actual classrooms. Tese mobile classrooms are taking school to children who cannot go to school. Read more at www.stnonline.com/go/847 and www.stnonline.com/go/848.


26 School Transportation News Magazine November 2011


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