GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — 30,000 kids are waking up early for the first day of school in Sumner County. The school district says there are a lot of new things students, teachers, and parents can look forward to like a new technology initiative that'll provide new iPads for teachers and students.
It's called the Unlocking Genius initiative.
Sumner County Schools says they've been waiting in anticipation for students to return to the classrooms, not just for classwork but to help them learn in the most comfortable setting. They're going to provide iPads for all K-12 certified teachers and implement a one-to-one program for all 6th through 12th grade students.
Teachers will begin receiving their iPads by mid-August with high school students receiving theirs by the end of august. Middle schoolers are expected to get theirs by fall break. They say this is the beginning of future-ready education and they want to bridge the gap between traditional education and the digital age.
"One big change that we do have is we're going to start going 1-to-1 for students grades 6 through 12 with iPads. We want every child in Sumner County to have the same access to technology," said Director of Sumner County Schools Dr. Scott Langford. "Beyond that we want them to create. They don't think in terms of paper anymore. They think in terms of making videos, recording songs and doing a million things we couldn't dream of doing 20 years ago."
According to the district, Sumner County Schools is the number one county in Tennessee for Career and Technical Education and STEM. They say while it's difficult to get stem-accredited, Sumner County has 12 stem-accredited schools.
All of them are pushing the next wave of teaching young learners in the class. The school leadership team is working to create plans to deploy iPads to students and teachers as soon as they receive them for the school year.
"We're excited to see the great stem work and the work that we're going to do with technology. And the work that our teachers are going to do. We have a challenging call because we're preparing kids for a future that's rapidly changing with AI. I imagine that in the next couple of years, we won't see a kindergartener in the world who has not grown up without AI," said Dr. Langford.
Parents will get further communication from their child's school and teacher when the iPads are ready to be used. The district says making sure these devices are used responsibly is a priority, so parents should not be concerned.
All in all, they say this is an exciting time in education and a fun time to reconnect with students.
