GREENSBURG, Kan. (KSNW) – The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the lack of internet access for many communities across the state.
Many school districts are now offering remote learning options for the upcoming school year.
For rural Kansas, keeping students connected was an issue in March and remains an obstacle that schools and communities face.
In Greensburg, Kiowa County Schools is made up of three communities, Haviland, Mullinville, and Greensburg.
“High school we’re county-wide. Elementary we’re the western two-thirds of the county,” said Staci Derstein, Superintendent of Kiowa County Schools.
For the nearly 240 students, internet access is crucial.
“Trying to give every student an equitable platform to learn and the same opportunities as best we can in that home situation, internet’s a vital piece of how we’re going to make that work,” said Derstein.”
Although local broadband companies stepped up and provided free access in the spring, a long-term solution is still needed.
“Making sure all our families are connected again, will be imperative,” said Derstein.
This issue stretches across the state.
A study by Common Sense Media shows that nearly 156,000 Kansas kids lack internet access, and another 109,000 don’t have devices at home for distance learning.
For superintendent Staci Derstein, having equitable internet access for every student is their mission.
“All students need that connection daily with their peers and their teachers to promote learning,” said Derstein.
The Kansas Association of School Boards along with other organizations are pushing for nearly $4 billion dollars in federal funding to help bring relief to those communities that are still trying to find a signal.
They have marked Tuesday, as ‘Homework Gap Day of Action.’ A day created to bring light to the digital divide between densely populated and rural areas in Kansas.
The KASB is calling for Congress the close the homework gap and put funding toward ensuring students have the proper internet access and devices to carry out their studies.
The KASB says that it is critical that the funding must be included in the upcoming federal stimulus bill, as this may be the last one before the election season.
“It’s already an issue and that has become exacerbated now as we try to react to and plan for the COVID pandemic as it continues its impact on our public schools,” said Leah Fliter, KASB Director of Governmental Relations.
After weeks of gridlock, the House and Senate leaders now say they are hoping to pass a relief bill within the upcoming weeks. As for what that bill will entail, discussions are still on the table.
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