Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday at the Bronx’s DeWitt Clinton High School that 350,000 students in 1,700 public schools citywide will receive free, internet-enabled Chromebooks throughout 2025-2026 to help address digital inequity among New York City youth.
The mayor was joined by Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser, Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro and Yankees star Jazz Chisholm Jr. to announce what Adams called a “monumental investment” in students’ present and future success.
The new Chromebooks — some of which were given to DeWitt Clinton students after the announcement — will come with T-Mobile LTE or 5G access, so students can use them even in places without wi-fi access.
The Bronx is particularly affected by a lack of technological resources in homes. More than 22% of Bronx households do not have home internet, and approximately 1 in 3 lack access to a computer, according to a July report by the Center for an Urban Future.
Adams said he and other adults quickly realized during the pandemic that many students did not have the necessary tools for remote learning. “We were telling [students] to go online, but they did not have devices, and they did not have access to high-speed broadband,” he said.
Under the new initiative, Adams said, “Our success will no longer be determined by ZIP code — it must be determined by whether you are a New York City resident, period.”
Adams said the Chromebooks will help replace outdated devices currently used in some schools and will ensure students still have technology access despite the new statewide ban on cell phones during the school day.
“We may have taken away cell phones during the day, but you got Chromebooks for the entire day,” he said.
As for internet access, the city-funded Big Apple Connect program already provides free internet at NYCHA buildings, and Adams said it will soon expand to other low-income housing. The new Chromebook distribution is in partnership with T-Mobile, which already partners with the city to provide broadband to city agencies, and Dell Technologies.
Aviles-Ramos said the city will be “working in phases” to ensure the Chromebooks are first given to those who need them most.
She said priority will go to schools using devices that are more than five years old, students in temporary housing, high-poverty schools (defined as schools with at least 86% of households at the poverty level), new schools and schools that have submitted applications to receive new devices.
Chisholm Jr., whose nonprofit foundation helps young people succeed in baseball and in the classroom, grew up in Florida and the Bahamas but apparently felt at home at DeWitt Clinton.
“This reminds me of where I grew up,” he said.
The All-Star second baseman said he has visited several schools throughout his two years as a New York Yankee. “I love giving back,” he said.
DeWitt Clinton students also celebrated the free devices. Senior William June told the crowd that many students currently struggle to do homework and type essays on their phones, which are often their only internet-enabled devices.
The new Chromebooks will help students learn responsibility and “level the playing field for everyone,” said June. “Laptops don’t just upgrade our classrooms, they upgrade opportunities. They upgrade futures. And if we’re being real, they make homework just a little less painful.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
