(Someday) Going back to online school

It's not clear if young children are carriers for the coronavirus.  Many experts say no.

Regardless, schools have been closed on account of the possibility, and depending on the place, the possibility remains that it might not be til 2021 for most schools to be back in session.

Dealing with online learning and access then should be a major priority for schools.

Here in Salt Lake, one schoolteacher we know said that most of the kids in her class had access to computers, and the school had enough laptops to provide to the kids that didn't.

But many schools are not so well provisioned ("As Classes Move Online, What Happens To Students Without Internet Or Computers?," NPR).

Even then, some households, with multiple children, and parents working from home, probably need more computers than they have.

And then there is the issue of access to the Internet.  Many households lack such service although there are programs that aim to provide Internet access to low income households through cable systems ("Internet Options for Low and Fixed Income households").

Some school districts have outfitted school buses to serve as mobile wi-fi hotspots ("School Bus Wi-Fi Hotspots Aide Student Learning During COVID-19 Closures," School Transportation News, "Virginia School System Turns Buses into Wi-Fi Hot Spots," Charlottesville Progress-Index. But it's not like they can put school buses by every house that needs access.

From the STN article:

As the program [for schools in South Bend, Indiana] was being developed, Sanchez said the district made two considerations. First, the district determined the hours that each school requires for distance learning. He added that he wanted the buses parked during the same hours that eLearning is taking place, which is Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The other consideration was where to park the buses.

“We looked at two different heat maps that we have. The first one that we looked at was where we have a lot of students [in] poverty … we identified parks, we identified apartment complexes, we identified other areas that students can congregate, based on where they live in those areas,” Sanchez explained.

The district also conducted a survey to determine which households have internet access and which do not.

“We went to those areas where students said we don’t have high quality or broadband. So that way, we not only went to impoverished areas, but we also went to areas where we knew there was limited Wi-Fi,” he added.

Many library systems have wi-fi hot spot check out programs (Check Out a Library Hotspot," Public Libraries). But schools mostly don't (Starting a Mobile Hotspot Lending Program, Maine).

And this lends more support to the concept of public wi-fi networks using streetlights as networks, etc.

But it seems that one thing this summer that schools should be doing is ensuring they have computers to provide to the students that need them, along with wi-fi hotspots/Internet access.