The virtual start for public schools in Charles County, Maryland, will get a signal boost in the form of expanded WiFi access.
With classes set to begin online on Aug. 31, Charles County Public Schools announced that is setting up both a family internet center in a county high school, as well as bringing WiFi access to parking lots at certain elementary and middle schools.
Henry E. Lackey High School will serve as the family internet center and will open to students on Sept. 2. Charles County schools said the space will be modeled after a study hall with desk’s socially distanced in the school’s gym.
The internet center will be open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. The schools will have a limited number of desktop computers available.
The schools said that parents and guardians have to remain onsite with their children unless they are 16 or older.
Due to limited space, the schools are requiring spots to be reserved between 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. the day before you’d want to use the internet center. Charles County schools said families can schedule up to five consecutive days at a time.
The schools also recommend that parents bring a lunch, water and snacks for their children.
Charles County is also offering WiFi access in the parking lots of the following schools:
- Gale-Bailey Elementary School
- T.C. Martin Elementary School
- Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School
- Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School
- Matthew Henson Middle School
- Piccowaxen Middle School
- Milton M. Somers Middle School
To access the WiFi, families will need to look for the network name “BYOD” once they find a spot in the parking lot. The password is CCPSis#1!.
Charles County schools students should use their Office 365 login credentials to gain access to the network.
If they have any problems gaining access to certain sites, they should install the certificate found in this link.
Hotspot access is available in the parking lots of the following Charles County schools:
- Arthur Middleton Elementary School
- General Smallwood Middle School
- Henry E. Lackey High school
- La Plata High School
To access the hotspot, families should park near the Charles County Public Schools WiFi van in the lot and look for the network name “PublicAccess.” The password to join is CharlesCounty.
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