Public school students and teachers in the District of Columbia will get their own Web site, free e-mail and other interactive resources through a partnership between leading Internet technology firms and their nonprofit counterparts.

The Community Cyber-Youth Project is managed by the nonprofit A Broader Image, a 501(c)3 group dedicated to helping African-American children and young adults through community service and information technology. The group has partnerships with US Interactive Inc., the Association for Interactive Media and USA.NET Inc.

The nonprofit plans to wire all District elementary and middle schools and has received more than 500 donated 486- and 586-processor PCs from area law firms, government agencies and other businesses.

A test site was launched Aug. 17 at the Garnett Patterson Middle school, with the District-wide version scheduled for release during Black History Month in February 1999. Plans call for the Community Cyber-Youth Project to be expanded into at least 10 other cities next year.

Before the project's efforts, the student-to-computer ratio at Garnett Patterson was 11.1 to one, it is now three to one. The national average is 10.1 to one, while the U.S. Department of Education recommends a six-to-one ratio.