Initial Response to School Closures

Schools are the heart of our communities. They educate our children and are a trusted lifeline for millions of families, providing essential updates on public health and emergency measures as well as connections to crucial social services and local resources. When COVID-19 forced school buildings to close in spring 2020, districts rapidly shifted to distance learning. For many, the first step was surveying families and staff to determine the number of people who had a device and a way to get online. The results were disturbing. Some districts found that tens of thousands of their students did not have technology and connectivity for a meaningful distance learning experience. In a matter of days, systems distributed laptops and tablets collected from school buildings and loaned hotspots to students. When the inventory ran out, leaders turned to other strategies.

Like many in our network, Susan Enfield, superintendent of Highline Public Schools near Seattle, Washington, reached out to philanthropic partners and municipalities for emergency grant support and asked individual donors to sponsor families in need of broadband access for $140 per year. In North Carolina, Guilford County Schools (GCS), under the leadership of Superintendent Sharon Contreras, installed hotspots on school buses and parked them in high-need neighborhoods so children in the area could log on for class. The district also partnered with local colleges, universities, and organizations that provided hotspots, which were strategically relocated to offer expanded Wi-Fi coverage. In addition, GCS opened learning centers on campuses in communities with poor internet connectivity and created a Saturday Internet Hub, allowing students to use school internet and technology to complete assignments. Other systems negotiated short-term agreements with internet service providers or gave families maps showing free Wi-Fi sites at schools, churches, and community centers.

To support efforts in members’ systems, Chiefs for Change awarded $450,000 in emergency relief aid. Districts used the funds to purchase hotspots as well as distance learning software designed for children with special needs.

Stopgap measures such as those described above helped schools make it through the end of the last academic year.