Online Learning during Pandemic Leaves Lower Class Kids Behind

     According to The Buffalo News, nearly 40,000 kids in West New York live without a computer or high speed internet. This is due to many reasons including affordability, as well as there simply not being access where they are located. Many efforts have been made to combat this issue, but nothing has proved to be a true fix. Some of these ideas include, sending tablets home with students grade 3 and up and telling teachers to  keep in mind that not everyone has good internet, if any at all while planning their remote lesson plans. But what does this look like? What good does a tablet do if the students can not submit assignments or ask the teacher for help? Some schools sent out paper packets, but this is not a sustainable plan. Portable hot spots have been lent to families in need, however there are so many that this doesn't seem sustainable either. One school had the idea to park buses with wireless routers in neighborhoods without Wifi so they could work online. Navigating this pandemic has been difficult but necessary. The internet has provided many new outlets to continue 'normal life' during this pandemic, but unfortunately isn't available to everyone. According to the article, "the largest number of "disconnected" students are in urban districts with large school enrollments and high poverty." I have even seen this problem close to home, in Lexington Ky. My little cousin has to work on a desktop that is also used by both of her parents. Comparing students who have access to internet with students who don't is known as the "digital divide". Leaders in Kentucky state that "the state should view internet access as a public good similar to electricity and school buses" according to the Courier Journal. According to this article, "Recent U.S. Census figures showed showed that Kentucky ranked that Kentucky ranked 44th in the nation for broadband access, with roughly 25% of households lacking a subscription lacking a subscription for high-speed internet and more than 15% of homes not having a computer." This problem is being seen across the country and if we don't find a permanent solution now, some of these kids will fall desperately behind.