St. Louis High Schoolers Get Free Phones, Cell Service

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 09/30/19

High school students in St. Louis Public School District received free smartphones and wireless connectivity from wireless provider Sprint as part of the 1million Project. This was the third year in a row when students in the district participated in the program. In the latest round, 1,200 students received devices, which they were told, they could "keep for good."

Sprint first committed to providing wireless broadband connectivity for up to 50,000 low-income K-12 students across the country in 2014, as part of the Obama administration's ConnectEd initiative, a public and private effort to put technology into classrooms and into the hands of students and teachers.

The latest distribution took place at Carnahan High School of the Future. Students received Samsung Galaxy J3 Achieve phones, along with cellular service. The phones include hotspot functionality that enables students to get access to the internet from their computers at home too.

"Many of our students are dealing with multiple hardships that make studying and learning difficult in their home environment," said Lewis Reed, president of the Board of Aldermen, during the presentation. "What we're doing today, through this Sprint 1million project is working to close the homework gap for these kids."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Abstract AI circuit board pattern

    Nonprofit LawZero to Work Toward Safer, Truthful AI

    Turing Award-winning AI researcher Yoshua Bengio has launched LawZero, a nonprofit aimed at developing AI systems that prioritize safety and truthfulness over autonomy.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A recent report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • tutor and student working together at a laptop

    You've Paid for Tutoring. Here's How to Make Sure It Works.

    As districts and states nationwide invest in tutoring, it remains one of the best tools in our educational toolkit, yielding positive impacts on student learning at scale. But to maximize return on investment, both financially and academically, we must focus on improving implementation.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.