79-1233.

Access to telecomputing resources; powers and duties.

Each educational service unit shall provide access for all school districts within the geographical area served by the unit to telecomputing resources, which shall include the capacity to receive and transmit distance education courses on at least a regional basis beginning on or before August 1, 2007, through the installation of necessary equipment at each educational service unit location or through interlocal agreements with other educational service units and shall provide support for training users to meet their specific telecomputing and distance education needs. School districts may annually elect prior to a date determined by the educational service unit not to connect to such telecomputing resources. Each educational service unit shall also develop, with the State Department of Education, a plan which provides for connecting the telecomputing and distance education equipment of such school districts with the telecomputing and distance education equipment of the unit.

Educational service units may enter into agreements pursuant to the Interlocal Cooperation Act and the Joint Public Agency Act to carry out this section. Such agreements may include, but need not be limited to, provisions requiring any school district having telecomputing or distance education equipment connected to the educational service unit's telecomputing or distance education equipment to pay periodic fees necessary to cover the cost of such usage.