Northside ISD now is the largest school district in Texas and one of the largest in the nation to go completely wireless.
A network of more than 7,000 access points across 355 square miles has been installed in all campuses and facilities, giving students, teachers, and staff access to the Internet anywhere and anytime.
"Northside is a leader in instructional technology," Superintendent John Folks said. "We need to make sure students are prepared to be successful in the 21st century."
The wireless network is being used to augment classroom instruction and increase communication between school staff. Starting this school year, secondary students are allowed to bring personal laptops to school and can access the wireless network. The District also is in the process of replacing teacher desktop computers with laptops.
"We want to make sure students and staff are maximizing their use of technology by increasing access the Internet," said Kelly Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Technology Services.
Installing the wireless network cost about $6.7 million, which came from funds approved by voters in School Bond 2004. In the long run, the wireless network will be more cost-efficient than installing cables and hardware every time a campus gets additional computers.
