The Newton County School System announced this week that it received a $50,000 donation from Facebook to aid the purchase of technology equipment and supplies for students in need.

NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey said funds will be allocated to relieve the costs of the school district’s recent purchases of Chromebooks, laptop covers and mobile hotspots. These new technological devices were lended to students in an effort to provide a better environment for distance learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are so appreciative of this very generous donation from Facebook,” Fuhrey stated in a press release. “We had to close our schools abruptly and move to digital learning at home due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, many of our students and their families did not have access to the technology needed for online learning so we loaned parents the technology we had in-house and quickly purchased additional Chromebooks, covers, and mobile hotspots as the need was so great in our community. 

“We thank Facebook for stepping in to help defray some of those costs and we appreciate their partnership. Most importantly, we thank Facebook for supporting the children in our community during this difficult time.”

Facebook has had a location in Newton County since 2018. Since then, they’ve made constant efforts to assist the local school district through donations and support. Last year, the company purchased supplies and parts for a student-designed STEM bus for the Newton College and Career Academy and aided the school’s VEX robotics program.

“Newton County is our home, so it’s an honor to support its students and families during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Katie Comer, Community Development Regional Manager for Facebook, stated. “We understand that remote education presents new challenges for both students and educators and hope this investment eases the burden so they can focus on learning.”