Should school districts provide computers and WiFi for at home learning?

[Anonymous 2]

everyone complaining about the cost to the school is laughable...

I guess you all forgot how the gov bailed out banks to the tune of TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS...

but they REFUSE to help YOUR children's future

[highlandmum]

Our high school students get a Chromebook to use from grade 9 to grade 12. However is should not be the schools responsibility to provide WiFi for students. WiFi is not a one solution fits all and it could be a logistical nightmare to ensure students receive it. We have rural areas around us that can only use Mobile Satellite internet, others have DSL, others are on Fiber Optic. How would school also control who uses the internet, it could potentially be used by everyone in the household.

The schools here turned on their WiFi so families could sit outside the schools and use it on the chromebooks. Not a great solution, but I guess it's something.. it would have sucked if you didn't have a vehicle to sit in though.

I heard about children in Toronto sitting outside Starbucks locations to get WiFi. The Starbucks was closed but the WiFi was still active and the parents dropped their child off and they would sit on the grass surrounding the locations and work. The schools around me were allowing students to use the WiFi as well. I feel for these children but with high school only going back as a hybrid option this quadmester it is only going to get worse for these students as they need to find a way to get the work done. I honestly want to know what is going to happen in the winter, as these options become a little more complicated by the weather.

[highlandmum]

We received a letter from our Catholic school board. Our region is a "designated" school board, so it looks like our youngest will be back full time and our oldest as well but with a classroom with half the kids. For remote learning, the school board here is not providing Chromebooks, but has partnered with Staples so they can be purchased cheaper.

In some of the low income areas here, households without internet access is upward to 20 percent. This creates a problem. Also, theft of the Chromebooks was brought up as a potential problem.

Ours was the first board (public) in the province to give Chromebooks to grade 9 students. There have been no issues that I have heard of in regards to them receiving these computers. Our high school students in the district have been getting computers since 2016, and every high school student had them by September 2019.

I have said from the beginning that students from marginal communities, rural, and northern communities are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to on-line learning. These communities are unfortunately not set up to deal with this type of learning, and as a result the students suffer. Even in my area which is a high tech area the outside communities are at a disadvantage as the internet is slow, and at times non-existent depending on the location.

That is good that your school district is doing this. If they provided the 43,000 students here with actual Google Chromebooks, the cost would be something like $40 million or so I believe was one thing I read.

Learning is definitely not standard throughout the province.

As I said it started in 2016 and they only gave it to grade 9 students that were coming into the system. So a student in grade 10 would not have received one. They estimated that the cost was $300 per computer and that was the equivalent of 3 textbooks, or less than 1/2 of replacing a computer lab computer. So it has taken a few year (4 in total) to implement and for all students to get one.

[leadfoot40]

laptops yes wifi no

[Anonymous 3]

Laptop for use from grade to grade, or repeated textbook buying. Which is more economical?

[Anonymous 4]

Well, my family has always attended an online public school. The school will provide computers but it's our responsibility to provide high speed internet. However they do offer us the option to apply for a reimbursement for our internet. With one child it's only like ten dollars as month, and multiple children it's 20. They just send checks out twice a year if you apply for it. So yeah I think the school should at least supply the students with the computers.

[mcginnisc]

Schools these days don't provide anything for students. Have you seen the list of stuff that teacher's want the parents to buy? I went back to school shopping with my SIL last year for my nieces, and the list she had was outrageous. And my niece is only 6. She was starting kindergarten.

Why would they provide computers and WiFi when they won't even provide glue sticks?

I'm in my mid 40's and schools never provided paper, glue, etc when *I* was a kid. There have always been supply lists. The problem is that schools get little funding and teachers are providing much of the supplies themselves. Many schools do not provide cleaning supplies for teachers so teachers have to fund it and in order to offset it, they put hand sanitizer and such on their lists. Keep in mind, many parents will do the bare minimum if anything at all either because they can't financially swing it, or they don't care. When the government does not act like education is important by giving necessary funding, it trickles down.
Our district provides chromebooks ( I only know this because almost all of my friends are teachers) , but not wifi.
I do think that virtual is the best option for many areas right now that are increasing and that something needs to be done so that *all* students have the same opportunities for education. I wish I knew what the answer is for everyone involved-especially those that need interventions.

[Pjmm]

I believe ours will be providing laptops. And Comcast does low cost internet. I've no dog in this fight but I believe the parents who can afford to provide laptops should. The schools can provide to those on free reduced lunches for example. The rest of us suck it up and provide.

[Anonymous 5]

I don't agree with proving wifi because most people have wifi and even if you're low income a lot of Internet companies provide cheap internet (like$10 or under a month where i am) but yes computers. Our school provides every students a computer to use at school/home. During the normal school year if you decide to bring your computer home (4th-12th grade only) you pay a $25 deposit. That's for the insurance on the computer. For this year they are still providing computers to everyone but obviously everyone has to pay the $25 for the deposit. I'm not sure what they do for parents with multiple children...i only have 2 so the $50 isn't an issue but i have a low income single mom friend who has 4 kids in school this year that will need computers.

[Traci_Momof2]

There’s a debate going on in a local Facebook group because one of the school districts around here has said that since parents have the option to do remote learning OR in person learning it’s up to the parents to provide computers and WiFi.

There are several people that feel that the school should provide the computers and WiFi period.

Of course then there are others that agree with the school that since in person learning is an option they will not be providing WiFi and computers for students to take home.

So what’s your opinion on it?

When there is a choice like you described, I don't know. I can see both sides. I guess when there is a choice for in person learning I don't blame the district for not providing them. It'd be nice if they would but I don't blame them for not.

Now how it is in my district there is no choice. It is all remote learning right now and students need a device that can do Google Classroom and Google Meets with a camera and microphone. So I know my district has been working diligently to get Chromebooks out to students who need them. Are they providing for every student? No, because not every student needs one. Lots of families already have perfectly good devices. They are providing for those who don't have it, or don't have enough for every child in the house.

I was telling a friend of mine who works at my 8th grader's school that we almost needed one. The PC that DS normally uses is reeeeeaaaaly old. It has no microphone or camera and it does not support Google Meets. It would not have met his school needs. Luckily, DH had an old laptop from a former employer who didn't want it back. DH got that up and running and it works for DS's schooling so that is what he is using. And if we didn't have that we might have just gone out and bought something ourselves. But my friend said that they would've had a Chromebook for him if we didn't have that laptop.