By Sarah Hammad – Staff Reporter

In most districts, the school wifi connection is extremely laggy. This internet lag occurs for several reasons: There are hundreds or even thousands of people sharing one internet source, which causes the internet to be slower. The layout, age, and construction materials that make up a school – especially at a school as old as Law – also make it difficult to maintain a strong wifi connection. In Milford, each time a new website is opened at school, it goes through Securely, a security system that checks if it is a school-friendly site. This process also takes time. Most sites and apps such as VPNs and Youtube are typically blocked to prevent students from getting distracted.

Despite these challenges, Milford needs to invest in a better internet system because the school wifi is so inconsistent that on several days this year, it has stopped working or been extremely slow for hours at time. When this happens, students are unable to do any work on their school-issued Chromebooks. They either don’t get any work done in class or they have to resort to using their cell devices to complete their assignments. 

Having a reliable and fast internet connection is something that all school, including Milford, need. Today, almost all school work is done online. When the internet slows down, Chromebooks get disconnected from the wifi and teachers and students have difficulty completing classroom assignments. If the internet goes down in the middle of the school day or the middle of a lesson, the work can’t be done on paper because the paper has to be printed using a device. That device won’t work if there is no internet.

Unfortunately, having a slow internet connection isn’t something that’s easy to fix because it requires a lot of money. Many public school districts do not have the money to invest in hi-speed wifi for all schools. It would take a lot of time and money to make sure that all building are compatible for hi-speed wifi. 

That said, through fundraising, grants, or other means, Milford should work towards getting a newer and faster wifi connection. This will make it easier for students to get their assignments done in school and ensure that all school technology works without interruption.