Free Wi-Fi spots around Graham, Brazos offers students internet

As schools continue to be closed due to the COVID-19, Graham ISD has begun to prepare for students to take an online approach to learning.

GISD has spent the last couple of weeks finding ways to get students access to the internet in order to do homework and continue their school online. Graham ISD Superintendent Sonny Cruse said that students have several places where they can get access to the internet both through the school district and Brazos Communications Wi-Fi.

“Well we started working on this (access to the internet) a couple weeks ago. The first thing we did was our technology staff (...) they started working on our network,” Cruse said. “We have a really robust wireless internet system, and there was some settings they could do on our wireless access point to expand those where they can go through the walls a little better, so they did some different settings for that kind of infrastructure.”

According to Cruse and the GISD website, students can get access to the district Wi-Fi within a certain distance of the school building. The district website has maps of each campus’ Wi-Fi hotspot range under the COVID-19 tab. Cruse stated that if you park inside the red circles, you will have Wi-Fi.

Cruse said in addition to the district hotspots, GISD has partnered with Brazos Communication to get Wi-Fi hotspots around Graham.

“Additionally I reached out to a couple of our internet providers here in town. Brazos Communications stepped up and they’ve installed three Wi-Fi hotspots,” Cruse said. “They put one at Woodland Elementary, so if you park in the semi circle drive off of Cliff Drive in front of Woodland, if you park there you can get to the Brazos W-Fi hotspot there. Over at Crestview — there is a circle drive that goes right to the back of the school, there’s a Brazos hotspot there. Brazos has put a Wi-Fi hotspot on The Square in downtown Graham.”

Even with all these Wi-Fi and internet connection areas, Cruse talked to Pastor Zach Gryder from HighRidge Church to allow students to have internet access from the church. Cruse said that starting Monday, March 30 the community and students can access Wi-Fi in the church parking lot.

Cruse and GISD are working to make sure every student has access to the internet and technology to continue to excel through remote learning.