The Roberts Family Donates $5 Million For Laptops to Help Philadelphia Students Start Online Classes by Mid-April
March 27 2020 - 2:01PM
Business Wire
Funding Will Help Support the Purchase of
50,000 Chromebooks by The Philadelphia School District for Online
Learning
The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia announced today
it has received a $5 million contribution from Aileen and Brian
Roberts, and their family, to give laptops to Philadelphia students
so they can begin learning from home by mid-April.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200327005446/en/
Aileen and Brian Roberts Visiting
Philadelphia Students in 2017 (Photo: Comcast Corporation)
According to a 2019 School District survey, only about half of
third-through-12th-grade students have the equipment they need to
begin participating in online lessons. This gift from the Roberts’
will support the purchase of 50,000 Chromebooks which will help
level the playing field and ensure that all students who attend the
220 District-led public schools across Philadelphia have the tools
they need to learn at home.
“We’re living in an unprecedented time and COVID-19 is
presenting our society with new challenges every day,” said Aileen
and Brian Roberts. “When we heard that many Philadelphia students
weren’t going to be able to learn from home without laptops, we
quickly decided we wanted to help and provide these teachers,
parents and students with the technology they need to begin
learning online within just a few weeks. In good times or bad, now
all of our Philadelphia students will have access to technology to
help them succeed.”
The 50,000 new laptops will be distributed along with the
estimated 40,000 laptops already in school buildings to students
and families. Once the equipment is received at the School District
headquarters, it will be dispensed between April 13 and 17. During
the interim two weeks, the laptops will be prepared for the
students and the Philadelphia School District teachers will be
trained to support distance learning.
"The generous gift from Aileen and Brian Roberts and their
family will help to transform the learning experience for thousands
of Philadelphia's public school students who will now be able to
access online educational resources from home," said Superintendent
William R. Hite, Jr., Ed.D. "Our public schools belong to all of us
and this is a great example of what's possible when we work
together to improve educational supports for all of our young
people. I am grateful for their generosity."
"The Fund is delighted to be the recipient of this most generous
gift,” said Donna Frisby Greenwood, President & CEO for The
School District of Philadelphia. “We will do our part to implement
this much needed and appreciated gift."
Students and their families who don’t already have internet
access can get it through any Internet Service Provider (ISP) in
Philadelphia. Comcast is currently offering low-income families who
don’t already have internet service two free months through
Internet Essentials, which is the nation’s largest and most
comprehensive high-speed internet adoption program.
The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia identifies,
coordinates and connects philanthropic resources to level the
playing field in local public schools. The Fund's partnership with
the School District of Philadelphia seeks to promote equity,
safety, and improved performance.
Brian Roberts is Chairman & CEO of Comcast Corporation
(Nasdaq: CMCSA). He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Aileen.
They have three children.
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Barbara Beck bbeck@sage-communications.com 610-246-9167
Katherine Finn Katherine_Finn@comcast.com 215-749-2333
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