Students in Tenino have a new homework partner: the Tenino Timberland Regional Library.
All students in the Tenino School District are issued a device, a tablet or Chromebook, but not all kids can take them home, Superintendent Joe Belmonte said. Middle school and high school students can take their devices home if they opt to pay insurance.
“Not every kid does that,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte said part of the district isn’t served by high-speed internet, which makes it difficult for students to work online.
Enter the Tenino library, which is within walking distance of the district’s schools. Library and school staff met to see how they can work together and came up with a plan to have the library host five of the district’s Chromebooks for students to use, giving them internet access to school resources and assignments outside of school hours.
The program began last week. It’s too early to see what the demand is, Belmonte said, but the district is prepared to add devices if the program is popular.
