Shelby County Schools (SCS) is partnering with the City of Memphis and Shelby County Government to conduct what is being dubbed a community-wide Power Up Hour in advance of the fully virtual opening of schools on Aug. 31.
The goal of the Power Up Hour is to have all virtual and in-person students and staff across each organization log onto devices, simultaneously. This will allow Internet providers to gauge broadband capacity, troubleshoot and respond accordingly to any challenges.
The first Power Up Hour is set for August 20 from 9 a.m.-10 a.m. A second will take place the following Thursday, August 27, during the same time slot.
“This is a historic endeavor and we encourage everyone to participate in this pressure test as we gear up for virtual learning,” says SCS Supt. Dr. Joris M. Ray. “We want to ensure our teams are prepared to support our students and families in the event any technical issues arise.”
The backdrop, according to SCS, is the recognition that students will be joining the virtual space with other schools, community organizations and businesses across the county – ushering in more than 95,000 students and staff using the same Internet networks.
“In these uncertain times, ensuring our young people have certainty in regards to their education is paramount,” Mayor Jim Strickland said. “By everyone working together on this inaugural ‘Power Up Hour,’ we’re helping to stress test the system and work out any potential issues so our children hopefully don’t have to experience any once their school starts back in a couple of weeks.”
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said, “Online capacity in our community is an important part of bridging the digital divide. … “We are grateful for the hard work of Shelby County Schools and local Internet service providers to ensure there is enough online capacity for virtual learning across the County.”
Here’s what is being asked of all citizens of Memphis/Shelby County during the Power Up Hour:
- Download and play a 3-minute video (ie. YouTube, a video sent via email, etc.)
- Engage on a streaming platform (ie. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.)
- Engage with an interactive website (ie. Khan Academy, etc.)
During the test hour, IT personnel and Internet providers will closely monitor the network for any crashes, capacity issues or troubleshooting needs.
