Some Perry County schools are finding a technology inequity among their students as they begin to roll out plans to educate students from home because of the coronavirus closure that started in March.
It’s more of a concern for the fourth marking period now that schools are closed by state order for the remainder of the academic year, which must end June 30.
Schools are reinforcing what students already learned so they don’t fall behind next year, and to prepare them for life after high school.
Some students are in jeopardy of failing a grade or not graduating, and districts want to make sure that doesn’t happen. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same access to technology. Some students have neither the devices, connectivity, nor money to handle some of the ways that schools can help them.
The largest disparity was at Susquenita School District.
Superintendent Kent Smith said 1,806 technology surveys were sent to families. There was no response from 95 families (possibly multiple students in each). Of those that did, at least 33 have no devices such as laptops or tablets capable of handling online education formats, and 62 said they have only a smartphone. Twenty-five families reported they have no internet service, and 35 said they have limited data plans. Those numbers worry administrators, school boards and teachers.
“I don’t want to have 100 or so kids who have no communication whatsoever,” board member Dr. Michael Jones said. “It’s a huge concern.”
Educators are calling families who didn’t respond to the survey, Smith said. That will give the district a more complete picture. Additionally, the district is seeking grants to set up wireless internet hotspots so students can connect, and into loaning classroom computers to families in need.
“There’s a personal side of this, too,” Smith said. “How much instruction can we ask parents to supervise?”
If parents are working from home, balancing work and instruction to students will take its toll, he said. Additionally, many families have one or more adults, so financial realities will compound the problems.
As unemployment claims pile up — about 1 million in Pennsylvania and nearly 17 million nationwide on April 9, according to state and national news outlets — the financial concerns of families could translate to more problems for school districts.
“Every family is different, and there’s an overabundance of stress right now,” said Dr. Nicholas Guarente, superintendent of Greenwood School District.
The district kept in touch with families after schools closed, but its surveys didn’t find a large number who needed devices or internet access.
“Our district is one-to-one, so we do have the ability to get devices out to families on a need-basis,” Guarente said.
West Perry School District found a smaller concern with tech coverage, too. But still there were six families (11 children) who had no internet access, Superintendent David Zula said. Others had spotty coverage and some families were in need of devices to support distance learning.
“We started focusing on those families who are in need of something,” Zula said.
The district is one-to-one at the high school for computers, and eighth grade students received their computers early. The school also distributed computers to families that need them.
Newport School District went one-to-one at the high school five years ago, and three years ago at the middle school, Superintendent Ryan Neuhard said.
“Grades 6 through 12, we didn’t have a problem with (devices there),” Neuhard said. And at the elementary levels, if there are families in need of devices, then the district has iPads and Chromebooks in classroom sets that can be distributed as needed.
All of the districts have established hotspots at their buildings, so families who need to connect to the internet can park near the school and do online work.
At each of the districts, traditional grades will be decided by the first three marking periods. In the fourth, the focus will be on continuing to engage students in subjects and introduce new material as possible. But less focus will be put on standard assessments. The greater concern is to have students who were in danger of failing or not graduating to regain a passing grade, administrators said.
The state also has ramped up resources as technology inequities have become more apparent.
“These are unprecedented times that call for extraordinary measures. We must do everything we can to create equitable learning environments for our students under these circumstances,” said Pedro Rivera, the state education secretary, in a release on March 31.
The state has allocated $5 million in grants for districts to purchase extra laptops, computers, and hotspots to push out technology to students, the department said. Those districts with the highest percentage of students lacking those resources will be given priority for the grants.
Jim T. Ryan can be reached via e-mail at jtryan@perrycountytimes.com