A Crisis In Education: Schools Can't Reach Thousands Of Children
After three weeks of remote learning, Atlanta special education teacher Patrick Hawkins still has not heard from two of his elementary students. He’s texted their families, he’s emailed and called.
“I’ve done anything you can do to get in contact with a parent, and still no response,” said Hawkins, who works at a district charter school, noting that he’s not supposed to make home visits for safety purposes.
Since March, over 120,000 school districts have closed in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Many districts transitioned to online learning and have been working to get computers and Wi-Fi hotspots in the hands of families who need them. Other schools that haven’t provided needy families with devices are sending homework via paper packets. Communities and schools have also been setting up free lunch distribution centers to keep families fed.
But now that the initial scramble has settled and learning has recommenced, schools are facing a new stark reality: There are thousands of families they simply cannot get in touch with ― let alone teach.
HuffPost contacted a dozen of the largest school districts in the country to see if they were tracking how many students they’ve been able to reach via phone calls and emails, and if these students have been participating in schoolwork.
Districts have not yet reached tens of thousands of students, at the very least, as their families struggle to deal with enormous economic stress and upheaval in their daily lives. Education advocates worry that these students are going hungry, or worse. Falling behind in school has almost become an ancillary concern.
Our students were teetering on whether to remain in schools or provide for their families before this epidemic hit. St. Louis teacher Nelver Brooks
Districts report handling this issue in a variety of ways.
Some are taking a more laissez-faire approach, not mandating that teachers connect with students.
A spokesperson for...
