Construction of 12 mile fiber-optic network to serve all school facilities

Kansas City, MO (May 29, 2013) – Fort Osage School District (FOSD) located in Independence, MO is upgrading its fiber-optic network, connecting district facilities with the signing of a long-term agreement with Unite Private Networks (UPN). The 12 mile fiber-optic network will connect all seven district facilities, including connections to the district data center, and provide 10 Gbps of bandwidth.

“Increased connectivity is the first step in our master plan to provide students greater access to technology. One emerging reality that we’ve come to understand is that use of a computer can’t be a special opportunity reserved for only a portion of the school day or week, but rather a tool that’s integral to the job of being a student…..just as it is to most adults in this world,” said Dr. Maria Fleming, FOSD Assistant Superintendent of Education Services.

“Utilizing the power of a high performance network allows the district to further leverage the technology investments they have made in both hardware and software,”  noted Martin Mueller, Director of Education Sales at UPN.

Starting with the 2013-2014 school year, Fort Osage will be providing 7th grade students with Chrome notebook computers. In addition, computer labs at the elementary schools are being replaced with Chrome book carts and iPads. This change will more than double the availability of computers for student use, and allow teachers much more access within their classrooms. One early benchmark of the success of this effort will be students’ use of technology on the Smarter Balanced Common Core assessment that will be taken by all 3rd through 8th grade students beginning in 2015. This is an entirely computer-based assessment, and it’s imperative that access to a computer not be a barrier to student success.

“As FOSD progresses on the path of digital learning and online assessments, the network will provide the bandwidth necessary to drive these applications and the platform for continued growth in the future,” stated Linda Hammer, Vice President of Education Sales at UPN. “We are excited to be able to work with the district on this key technology component of their master plan.”

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About Unite Private Networks: UPN provides high-bandwidth, fiber-based communications networks and services to schools, governments, carriers, data centers, hospitals, and enterprise business customers across a 20 state service area. Service offerings include dark and lit fiber, private line, metro-optical Ethernet, Internet access, data center services, and other customized solutions. Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, UPN has been providing customer focused communications solutions since 1998. For more information on UPN, please visit www.uniteprivatenetworks.com.