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Attorney General Donovan Partners with Comcast to Address Shortage of Laptops in Time of Remote Learning

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May 5, 2020

250 Chromebooks Delivered to Orange-East Supervisory Union Students

Contact: Charity R. Clark, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171

Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced that he secured from Comcast a donation of 250 Chromebooks that were donated to a Vermont school district in need. As Vermont school children have shifted to remote learning, some pupils in the Orange-East Supervisory Union (OESU) did not have reliable access to tablets or computers. OESU consists of schools servicing Bradford, Newbury, Corinth, Groton, Ryegate, Thetford, Topsham, and Wells River. Students who are slotted to receive these Chromebooks attend Blue Mountain Union School, Newbury Elementary School, River Bend Career and Technical Center, and Waits River Valley School.

“I want to thank Comcast for making this investment in our future,” Attorney General Donovan said. “This is a challenging time for students, teachers, and parents. I know these Chromebooks will make all the difference to those who receive them.”

“Ensuring students have access to the resources to support their learning is critical during this time of Continuity of Learning,” said Secretary of Education Dan French. “I am grateful to Comcast for their generosity, and to the Attorney General for working to organize this donation to Orange-East.”

“The 250 Chromebooks will connect many students previously unable to access on-line remote learning,” said Superintendent Emilie Knisley. “We did not have the funds in our local budgets available to bridge this divide in connectivity. We appreciate the support of Attorney General Donovan, Secretary French, and Comcast in making this possible for the students of Orange-East Supervisory Union. This is a big step forward in breaking down the digital divide between students and technology.”

“As Vermont continues to manage the COVID-19 emergency, we recognize that our company plays an important role in helping Vermont students and families stay connected,” said Dennis Mathew, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Western New England Region, which includes Vermont. “We are continuing to deliver the network speeds and capacity our Vermont customers need while they’re working, learning and connecting from home, as well as help more residents gain access to broadband through initiatives like this and our Comcast Internet Essentials program. We appreciate the work Attorney General T.J. Donovan and his team do to make sure Vermonters get the resources they need, especially during this extraordinary time.”

The Chromebooks were delivered on Monday, May 4, 2020.