Arlington Public Schools will use a $70,000 donation to buy more iPads for its elementary school and career center students.
The Children’s Fund of Metropolitan Washington gave the school system the grant to support the Virginia Department of Education’s “Beyond Textbooks” initiative, which stresses digital technology in the classroom.
The district will buy 120 iPads to be shared among students at Barret, Carlin Springs and Randolph elementary schools and the Arlington Career Center — schools chosen because more than 51 percent of students are on free or reduced lunch and more than 48 percent have limited English proficiency.
“Through a technology survey APS conducted earlier this year, we learned we still have a small number of students do not have access to technology outside of school,” Superintendent Pat Murphy said. “This grant, combined with the recent state grant funding and APS resources, will help us to accelerate our efforts to close the existing technology gap by ensuring access for more students.”
In September, Drew Elementary and Washington Lee High Schools split 70 iPads, which retail for about $499 apiece, funded by the Governor’s Productivity Investment Fund.
