PORT ALLEN - West Baton Rouge Parish Schools has completed the installation of 20 additional networking devices.

There are now 65 Cradlepoints — networking devices stronger than a traditional hotspot — installed across the parish, the majority being installed on telephone poles. The devices are specifically installed in areas where students have limited internet access at home.

The Cradlepoints can be found in neighborhoods, parks and sports fields.

West Baton Rouge Schools Supervisor of Information Systems and Educational Technology Tammy Seneca said there are more than 4,000 students enrolled in the school system. More than 25% are using the Cradlepoint technology, with the goal being to bring the number of Cradlepoints to 70 parishwide.

"I think it's a great equalizer," Seneca said. "Just because you might be able to afford internet or you can't, you still have the same education."

She added the need for Cradlepoints came during the COVID-19 pandemic when most classroom instruction was remote.

Principal of Port Allen Middle School Jessica Major said there are more than 200 students at her school and around 75% are using Cradlepoints.

"The majority of our families have internet through their cell phones, so they're using their cell phone data plans," Major said. "Like writing an essay, before we had these Cradlepoints, some of them were using their cell phones."

The school system had to get permission from local electric and telephone companies to install the devices on electrical poles. A partnership with the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center helped the school system by installing the Cradlepoints around the parish.

"My own children go to school in this school district, we go to the ballparks. One child might have softball practice, the other one maybe doesn't. She can bring her Chromebook and she can access things at the ballpark," Major said. "Being able to have that one-to-one access has been a game-changer for the kids themselves too. We're in a world where that's the only way you operate."

For those looking to find one of these Cradlepoints, WBR Schools said they have a public Wi-Fi map available here.

"Kids can take their West Baton Rouge device to those locations and do their homework, or in some cases right in their house," Seneca said.