I've been working on a story about how school districts are trying to bridge Colorado's wide digital divide — and why their best efforts may still be falling short. I wanted to introduce you to some of the families we spoke with. #edcolo co.chalkbeat.org/2020/8/28/2140…
Tamika Aumiller has been waiting for an internet hotspot from her daughter's school since March. Three days before classes were set to start online, she made a decision that will temporarily separate her from her daughter.
Aumiller registered 6-year-old Addy for school in the county where her grandparents live, 45 minutes away, because classes there are being held in person. Without internet access, Addy couldn't do school at home: “My biggest worry is that she’s going to get behind."
.@YeseniaRobles interviewed Maria Rojas, whose teenage daughter got a hotspot from her school. But the hotspot didn't work. The teen used her cell phone instead, but it didn't work great, either: “All she would do is cry and cry, and I had no idea how to help her."
.@meltzere talked to Nallely Antúnez Gonzalez, who signed up for a low-cost internet service. But it was slow. Sometimes her 7-year-old daughter's schoolwork would fail to upload: "I would have to explain to her that she had to do it again, and it was really hard for her."
When schools closed in the spring, Graciela Rocha had to bring her 8-year-old to work with her at the hair salon she owns. But Rocha told me the mobile hotspot at her salon was too weak to support her daughter's remote learning.
This fall, Rocha has had to rearrange her work schedule so she can be with her daughter at home, where the signal is stronger. That means she now works seven days a week: every weekday afternoon after her daughter’s classes are over and 13- or 14-hour days on the weekends.
These stories illustrate the difficulties with the stop-gap measures many school districts have deployed to get internet to students who need it. Hotspots can be spotty and unreliable. Free internet deals can be slow. They also run out and some families can't afford to pay.
So what is the solution? Advocates like @COCommonGood and school superintendents say private internet companies and local, state, and federal governments need to step up to do more to more permanently bridge the digital divide.
“In 2020, broadband internet is not an option; it’s an essential service for living,” said Denver Public Schools Superintendent @SusanaCDenver. “This moment has revealed that reliable internet access at home is as vital as power and running water.”
