Many students won’t be returning to the classrooms for the opening of the new school year and that has left a number of schools and districts struggling to bridge the digital divide.
The State Charter Schools Foundation of Georgia (SCSF) and the Georgia Department of Education announced partnerships Monday that will allow them to serve more students as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps students out of the classroom and learning remotely.
SCSF, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting high-quality state charter schools in Georgia, and Inspiredu, a nonprofit focused on technology literacy, have teamed up with a goal of providing electronic devices, along with a backpack, training, and technical support, to 1,500 vulnerable state charter school students in the next year. So far, more than 160 low-income students have been served at four state charter schools through this $600,000 initiative – Brookhaven Innovation Academy, Fulton Leadership Academy, Ivy Preparatory Academy, and International Academy of Smyrna.
However, SCSF estimates that more than 5,000 state charter school students lack access to an electronic device and/or the Internet at home.
“The digital divide is not just a ‘pandemic problem,’ but COVID-19 has highlighted the need for every child to have access to an electronic device,” said Michele Neely, President of the SCSF. “Our children need to graduate high school with solid computer skills and the ability to communicate through digital devices to be successful in today’s workforce. Starting in elementary school, more instructional content is delivered through electronic devices, and even homework is now digital. Children without their own device were already at a disadvantage. Now, though, these children miss out on critical learning opportunities while school buildings are closed. Providing devices to children is a matter of ensuring equity in access to public education.”
Georgia is one of 10 states chosen to partner with Verizon to provide a fast-track to enable distance learning for students Kindergarten through 12th grade. Public schools will be able to benefit from Verizon’s sponsor-state agreement with GaDOE to provide schools with discounted service plans for unlimited 4G LTE Internet access, mobile device management (MDM) and Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)-compliant security applications.
“As a nation and as an educational community, we are truly in this together as we respond to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “This partnership allows us to come together with other states to leverage buying power and deliver connectivity solutions for our students.”
Woods said access to a reliable 4G LTE Internet connection and education solutions also help to build a more equitable educational system long-term, as lack of Internet access can impact students’ ability to attend class virtually, complete homework, or read and engage in educational and extracurricular opportunities.
