Comcast awards CFISD with internet partnership honor

Yolanda Green, community investment manager for Comcast Houston, presents Dr. Mark Henry, superintendent of schools, and Board President Bob Covey with an award recognizing CFISD's partnership in the Internet Essentials program.

The Cy-Fair Independent School District received an award from Comcast Houston at the board of trustees meeting held Tuesday, Jan. 22.

According to a district press release, the commendation and honor were presented to the district for its efforts in providing reduced internet rates to lower-income households served by its schools.

The CFISD food service department spearheaded the campaign by mailing flyers from Comcast, offering reduced internet rates for households that qualify for free or reduced lunches. The food service employees mailed approximately 20,000 flyers that invited recipients to participate in a reduced internet rate of $9.95 a month. In addition, personal computers were advertised for $150.

Yolanda Green, Comcast Houston community investment manager, presented the award at the trustee's meeting and said that CFISD was the first district to partner in its Internet Essentials program.

"It is because of that support from Cypress-Fairbanks ISD that we have had a successful first year in this program," Green said in the press release. "We want to say thank you to CFISD for helping light the way to a brighter future for all of our children."

Harold Rowe, CFISD associate superintendent for technology and school services, added that the program will help eliminate the digital divide for those with lower incomes.

"In the spirit of helping bridge this divide, companies such as Comcast are leading the way to provide low-cost access to internet to the economically disadvantaged," Rowe said in the release. "When they asked to partner with the district in this endeavor, it was and remains a partnership of substantial opportunity for our students."

The Cy-Fair Independent School District is at 10300 Jones Road, Houston.

For more information, call 281-897-4000 or visit www.cfisd.net.