Clayton County is working with Comcast to offer an Internet-equipped destination for students of the south metro Atlanta community who are being educated remotely.
The County Commission earlier this week approved the launch of a Comcast Lift Zone at the newly opened Flint River Community Center Boys & Girls Club in Riverdale. The program, which brings wi-fi to buildings where students without Internet can study, is the second in metro Atlanta after a similar Lift Zone was opened in Marietta last year.
“The COVID-19 crisis has put many low-income students at risk of being left behind and has accelerated the need for comprehensive digital equity and internet adoption programs to support them,” Comcast spokesman Alex Horwitz said. “Lift Zones, like the one in Clayton County, are designed to help those students who are unable to distance learn at home.”
Clayton County is one of a few districts in metro Atlanta that has not yet offered in-person instruction for students this academic year because of continued rising coronavirus infection numbers. Some Clayton students have had to scramble to find options for remote learning while their parents work outside the home.
Horwitz said Lift Zone sites — the company is opening 1,000 across the nation — also serve adults who can connect to online education, job searches, healthcare information and public assistance. This initiative provides free connectivity inside the community centers and access to hundreds of hours of content to help families and site coordinators navigate online learning, he said.
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