Coronavirus: In communities where kids lack technology, online school is a big challenge

When schools began distance learning a mere three weeks ago, it raised an uncomfortable question in some communities: How will online instruction work for students who have trouble getting online or can't get there at all?

In most districts across the region, students had plenty of their own technology or had already been given laptops or tablets by their schools before the coronavirus hit. In others, like New Rochelle, a quick effort was made to hand out laptops to students in need. 

But not every school district has that capacity. They have to make online learning programs available offline.

“School districts where all the kids do have access to technology or they're given a Chromebook from their district, that's a whole different world,” said Jerilynne Fierstein, spokesperson for the Yonkers Public Schools.

"Districts like ours, that don't have that capacity, it becomes somewhat more challenging.”

Yonkers educates about 27,000 students, and school officials still don’t know exactly how many families lack adequate access to technology at home. The district was gathering that information before the sudden statewide closure of schools interrupted their effort, Fierstein said.

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The Lower Hudson Valley is known for its wealthy enclaves, but the area is home to low-income, urban communities and plenty of towns that fall somewhere in between. The result is a stark difference between the resources available to school systems. While online instruction is a challenge for all districts, for those with fewer resources, it's a challenge to do it at all. 

“It's mirroring the inequality that we've always seen in New York's public schools,” said Jasmine Gripper, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, a statewide advocacy organization.

“The wealthy school districts in wealthy communities were able to ramp up online learning in no time, and our high need districts are struggling to figure out how to address the needs of parents and families.”

The range of needs in some communities goes far beyond whether a family has a computer. Some have aging, slow computers. Some families have one good computer that several children and a parent have to share. Some families have tablets and smartphones, but unreliable WiFi or no WiFi, and struggle to access the internet as networks are strained by overuse.

In many families, if a computer acts up or WiFi drags, the day will grind to a halt.

According to 2018 estimates from the Census Bureau, almost 20% of households in Westchester don’t have a laptop or desktop computer. In Yonkers, it's around 25%.

Many family situations

Figuring out how to teach students at home without sound technology is something of an odyssey.

At first, Yonkers Superintendent Edwin Quezada instructed teachers to prepare packets with 14 days worth of activities for students to bring home. When Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a statewide closure of schools, parents who still needed their children's work were asked to pick it up in person.

As the coronavirus outbreak worsened, the district began to mail out assignments to families that need it. Parents can call one of two dedicated phone lines, or fill out a form to request it. 

Emilsis Feliz has a 12-year-old son who attends Yonkers schools. They have one computer that her son is now using for school. She's a child care provider who also has a small business providing personal assistant services. 

“I really need my computer back, but my son’s education [takes] priority,” Feliz said. “I think that on-paper work would help, so he is not distracted on the computer, and I can have my computer back to do some work.”

Feliz doesn't have a printer in her South Yonkers apartment, and libraries are closed. Feliz sent her older son to get some materials from school, but there weren’t enough copies of everything. 

Feliz requested her son’s work through the mail, but she doesn’t know when it’s supposed to arrive.

“My boy and other kids are falling behind,” Feliz said.

Stephen and Donna Morton have two sons, a sixth-grader and a ninth-grader in the Greenburgh schools, and their home technology situation is similar. They have a computer, but Stephen needs it for work.

But in Greenburgh, every child in the third grade and up was given a Chromebook at the beginning of the school year, after a four-year effort by the district to reach that point.

The Mortons' children were "up and running" the first day schools were closed. They have live classes, take tests and continue their music lessons. 

"We are so incredibly fortunate that they managed to get this program in place this year," Donna Morton said. "It's critical. I can't imagine them trying to do this without the technology." 

Making it work

Unequal access to technology today is bound to leave children on unequal footing when school resumes, said Allison Lake, executive director of the Westchester Children’s Association, a nonprofit that promotes policies that help kids.

“Even though schools are making online learning available, we know it's not going to be able to be accessed equally,” Lake said. [It’s] no fault of anyone at the schools. They're doing the best they can. But we have to be mindful that some kids are really going to be losing some education here.”

Given the economic chaos caused by the coronavirus, calls to address economic inequities among school districts, rising only a few months ago, are now competing with many legislative priorities. Cuomo is warning of cuts to state education aid, but U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said the federal aid package will bring $2 billion of aid to New York schools. 

Mount Vernon has the lowest estimated number of households with a computer in Westchester, at 72%. Mount Vernon gave students work to bring home before schools closed and said additional work would be made available at food distribution sites.

On March 16, the district gave out about 240 devices on a first-come, first-serve basis, an effort supplemented by donations. The district continued to contact families and build a waiting list of who needed devices. On April 1, there was a second distribution.

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Anthea Francis came to get a computer for her oldest son. She has four school-age children, all doing their work on mobile devices, so she was appreciative for the device.

"It takes a big weight off my shoulders," Francis said. "It will keep us together in one spot, cause before, I had my oldest doing his work at a friend's. There was a little bit of worry in that department, as far as him going in and out of the house, but we had to get the schoolwork done. This is going to help out a lot."

One of the largest efforts to distribute devices was in the East Ramapo school district, where devices were handed out from March 21-24 to 1,500 families that responded to a district survey. 

The district is still contacting families and assessing their needs, Ogechi Iwuoha, an assistant superintendent, said during a virtual school board meeting on March 24.

In Peekskill, where the Census Bureau estimates about 75% of households have a computer, the district is signing out devices to middle and high school students who needed them. 

For some families with no computers or printers, packets of school work were hand-delivered by teachers and principals, district spokeswoman Laura Belfiore said.

The packets were a temporary solution for a temporary closure, and Peekskill is evaluating what will work best if schools are closed longer. The district did a survey before schools closed, so they know which families need what. 

Peekskill also worked to make families aware of Altice USA's offer to provide 60 days of free Optimum internet service to families with K-12 students who need it. Charter, the parent company of Spectrum Internet, rolled out the same offer. Both companies have also opened their WiFi hotspots to the public.

Even if a student has a computer and high-speed internet, some families still encounter serious difficulties, said Ian Rosenblum, executive director of The Education Trust-New York, an organization focused on reducing educational inequity.

He said that not all students have a productive space in their homes to work. Younger students whose parents work don’t have someone to guide them through online school, and older students might have childcare responsibilities themselves.

Gripper said the government should provide emergency relief for school districts that need it, and the state Education Department should be setting clear guidelines and standards to make sure all students are getting an equal remote education.

“We totally understand that Yonkers can't afford to send a laptop home with every kid. Rochester has the same situation, and so does Buffalo,” Gripper said.

“Does that mean students in these communities are going to be denied access to education for three to four months? That is completely unacceptable.”

Sophie Grosserode covers education. Click here for her latest stories. Follow her on Twitter @sdgrosserode. Check out our latest subscription offers here.