Students have to follow all school policies,” Kermavner said. The bus Wi-Fi systems are set up so kids can’t log onto random websites in the back of the bus. It turns into bus-work instead of homework,” he said in a phone interview.

“This should keep them engaged and able to do some work on the bus. Ideally, students will get on the bus after school and at least get started on their homework by the time they are dropped off at home, he said.

Thanks to a broadband connectivity grant of $42,000, all 18 of Cardinal’s buses have been equipped with Wi-Fi, said Cardinal Schools Superintendent Bill Kermavner. They and the rest of the student population of about 900 carry laptop computers, many of which were issued by the school, in their backpacks - technology that helped them continue their education during the COVID-19 lockdown until they resumed classroom learning.īut bus time and computer time will soon merge so students are able to get their school work done by getting online during travel time. In a district that covers 79 square miles in and around Middlefield Village, many of the 675 students who climb on the bus in the mornings and off in the afternoons can spend as much as an hour watching the scenery roll by every day.

Long rides on the school bus have meant lost hours every week for some Cardinal Schools students.

We did our homework on the bus