Ada News
May
13
Shift to distance learning highlights
2020 stark inequities in internet connection
Page
By Jennifer Palmer | Oklahoma Watch
A006
Clip When the coronavi-
resized rus pandemic closed
school buildings, teach-
35% ers were tasked with
connecting to students
from afar. Suddenly,
students’ lack of home
internet access was in
the spotlight.
A mid-March sur-
vey by the Oklahoma
Education Depart-
ment showed that
nearly one-quarter
of the state’s public
school students, about
167,000, don’t have in-
ternet access at home.
That means in places
like Hugo, a commu-
nity of 5,100 in south-
eastern Oklahoma,
teachers had to try to
reach students through
phone calls, emails and
letters. The district has
distributed hundreds of
schoolwork paper pack-
ets to students who are
offline.
Despite the efforts,
some students didn’t
respond.
“We are lucky to have
an outstanding group
of teachers who found
creative ways to reach
their students during
the crisis,” said Super-
intendent Earl Dalke.
“If we had been able
to provide learning
opportunities to all stu-
dents online, we would
have been able to do a
far better job.”
In some rural areas,
internet service is
spotty or slow or even
nonexistent. Districts
have been scram-
bling to buy hot spots,
which create a wire-
less internet connec-
tion through cellular
networks. That created
a backlog with cellular
companies, with orders
taking weeks. Some
districts rolled wireless
internet-enabled school
buses into neighbor-
hoods or welcomed
families to school park-
ing lots for a signal.
h k
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
It’s a patchwork ap-
proach that officials say
is leaving some stu-
dents behind.
It’s also a hasty,
crisis-driven approach,
given the circumstanc-
es. But the upcoming
influx of federal relief
dollars presents an
opportunity to address
what state Superinten-
dent of Public Instruc-
tion Joy Hofmeister
called “a lingering
issue,” meaning inad-
equate broadband at
home.
The state is expect-
ing $160 million in
federal relief funds for
K-12 education, 90%
of which will be allo-
cated directly to school
districts. Ten percent,
or $16 million, can be
spent by the depart- Whitney Bryen | Oklahoma Watch
ment. An empty classroom is seen at Santa Fe South Sixth Grade Center, a public charter school in Oklahoma City, in 2018.
Gov. Kevin Stitt, like
all state governors,
is receiving an ad-
ditional federal grant
for education from the
governor’s emergency
education relief fund.
Stitt is set to receive
$40 million. Stitt said
on April 17 that he is
considering spend-
ing some of the funds
on a private school
scholarship fund or for
Advanced Placement
classes in rural areas,
drawing widespread
backlash.
“Our primary focus
is on connectivity and
the ability to close the
digital divide,” Hof-
meister said about the
department’s portion
of funds. She proposed
that Stitt also use his
portion on internet ac-
cess. “Our schools are
looking for a long-term
plan.”
Secretary of Educa- long-term planning,” require another pivot hold more digital days Districts’ relief funds
tion Betsy DeVos also to support distance to distance learning. to reduce risk. Indi- will be distributed
is urging school dis- learning, according to a A resurgence of CO- vidual students could through the Title 1
tricts to use the funds recent press release. VID-19 could require be distance learning if formula, which is based
to invest in “technol- Even when schools widespread closures exposure to COVID-19 on the number of low-
ogy, distance learning reopen, likely this fall, again. Social distancing requires them to quar-
resources, training and some situations could could lead schools to antine at home. SEE SHIFT, PAGE A7
h d
 Ada News

NEWS Wednesday, May 13, 2020t THE ADA NEWS A7

SHIFT: internet to any student

who needs it. Like
other schools, Epic will
From Page A6 receive federal relief
funds.
income students served
The devices Epic pro-
by the district. But
vides work indepen-
the funds have fewer
dent of a family’s cell
restrictions than Title
phone and the school
1 funds. For instance,
May federal CARES Act
pays the monthly data
plans for the service,
funds can be spent on
13 technology infrastruc-
said Shelly Hickman, a
spokeswoman for Epic.
ture upgrades that im-
Demand for hot spots
pact the entire district.
soared in the past
“Think about internet
2020 access through Wi-Fi
few weeks as schools
transitioned to dis-
and the ability to not
tance learning. Doz-
only impact common
ens of school districts
Page education, but students
regardless of where
across the country have
contacted EveryoneOn,
A007 they go to school,” Hof-
meister said. “This is
a nonprofit working to
improve internet ac-
more of a global, com-
Clip cess and device acces-
prehensive answer.”
sibility for low-income
resized Greatest needs families, about pur-
are rural
32% Ninety-nine percent
chasing hot spots and
LTE-enabled tablets,
of schools in the coun- said Chief Executive
From try are outfitted with Officer Norma Fernan-
high-speed internet dez.
A006 and Wi-Fi in class- There’s a backlog, she
rooms to support digi- said, and orders that
tal learning, according previously would have
to EducationSuper- been fulfilled in a week
Highway, a nonprofit are now taking two or
focused on improving three weeks. Schools
Internet access in pub- are trying to order
lic schools. thousands at a time. In
But step off school the meantime, students
grounds in Luther and are trying to transition
internet access is “re- to distance learning
ally difficult or slow,” without the tools they
said Barry Gunn, Lu- need, adding stress to
ther’s superintendent. an already stressful
That’s the case in many situation.
communities. “We are talking about
“We’re not as rural as kids who are already
most schools, and it’s behind,” Fernandez
spotty out here in cer- said. “It has a signifi-
tain places,” Gunn said. cant impact on their
Luther is less than 30 learning.”
miles from downtown Tulsa Public Schools,
Oklahoma City on the the state’s second larg-
eastern side Oklahoma est district, distributed
County. tens of thousands of
Fewer than half Chromebooks. But
of Oklahoma’s rural getting all students
residents have access connected to the inter-
to high-speed internet net has proven more
– one of the lowest per- difficult.
centages of any state, “We provided a com-
according to a Federal puter to any child who
Communications Com- needed one, and we
mission report. Only were able to do that be-
two states reported a Tulsa Public Schools
cause of the generosity
smaller percentage of of Tulsans,” said Su-
Tulsa Public Schools is using its activity buses as mobile hot spots to help students with distance learning.
rural access: Arizona perintendent Deborah spots at a school and
and Nevada. Gist, referring to bond city park as part of the
That’s 651,000 Okla- dollars. “The challenge FCC’s “Keep Americans
homans in rural areas is internet access.” Connected” initia-
who don’t have access The Tulsa school tive, according to the
to high-speed internet, board Monday night Tahlequah Daily Press.
defined as download approved the purchase More than 700 com-
speeds of at least 25 of 1,500 hotspots to panies have signed the
megabits per second. give students internet pledge to not terminate
“In today’s world, access for summer service due to custom-
how we are intercon- school. ers’ inability to pay
nected is a necessity,” High-speed internet their bills, waive late
said David Ostrowe, is available to 95% of fees and open Wi-Fi
state secretary of Oklahomans living in hot spots to Americans
digital transformation urban areas and less who need them.
and administration. He than 50% of those in School solutions such
wants to see all Okla- rural areas, according as these, while helpful
homans have not only to the FCC. Afford- temporarily, are not
access, but speeds of at ability is still an issue suitable long-term,
least 100 megabits per statewide. Even with said Fernandez, of
second, a goal he called Tulsa Public Schools
low-cost plans avail- EveryoneOn. And they Tulsa Public Schools is using its bright blue activity buses as mobile hot spots to help students with distance learning.
“lofty.” able, providers can present equity issues.
“Rural access is The buses provide wireless internet access up to 300 feet away and are parked at various locations around the city.
deny service based on a “We want access that
currently the big- family’s credit history. is equitable and ubiq- day.” It was something a one-to-one district, southeastern Oklaho-
gest hurdle. It is very One solution the dis- uitous. We don’t expect superintendent Doug meaning all students ma, has 1,200 students
expensive to provide trict has used is park- higher-income families Brown had heard about have a computer or this year. Nearly 90%
internet access to these ing a school bus with to drive to a parking lot on a podcast, and he tablet to use. The are eligible for free or
areas,” Ostrowe said. free Wi-Fi at various to access the internet,” wanted to try it as part community approved reduced-price lunch,
Hot spots, equity locations throughout she said. of an ongoing effort to a $1 million bond for an indicator of poverty.
One of the most ef- the city to fill in the Long-term solutions increase the district’s technology equipment Brown said that drives
fective workarounds gaps. When the state or- use of technology. in 2017. his push to increase
is a portable hot spot, Similarly, Oklahoma dered a full switch to Three years ago, the “We’ve been really technology access.
which taps into a cellu- City Public Schools distance learning for district started provid- blessed. We were really “Technology is here
lar network and pro- has welcomed families all districts on April 6, ing hot spots to teach- prepared for this situa- and it’s not going away,
vides internet access. to its school parking Idabel was ready. ers, and when they tion,” Brown said. and we have to move
These devices are how lots to access free Wi- A month before upgraded, the district Student participation forward in our educa-
Epic Charter Schools, Fi while schools are schools shuttered for held on to the older in Idabel’s distance tional system,” he said.
the state’s largest vir- closed. And in Tahle- the coronavirus pan- ones for student use. learning is averaging “It’s even more impor-
tual school with nearly quah, the local electric demic, Idabel Pub- “We check them out over 90%, which he tant for poor districts
30,000 students across cooperative has added lic Schools held the like a library book,” called “phenomenal.” to provide these oppor-
the state, provides two free public Wi-Fi district’s first “virtual he said. They also are The district, in far tunities.”

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise

May
14

2020 EDUCATION

Page
A005
Virtual charter school bill
Clip
resized
50% passes Senate, nears finish line
By Nuria Martinez-Keel who are withdrawn for
The Oklahoman truancy twice in one
school year would be
OKLAHOMA CITY — prohibited from re-
A bill lawmakers say will enrolling in the virtual
bring greater transpar- charter school.
ency to virtual charter Students who enroll in
schools now awaits the a virtual charter would
governor’s signature. be considered a trans-
On Monday, the state fer student from their
Senate unanimously resident public school
passed House Bill 2905, district. After receiving
called the Virtual Char- notice of a transfer, the
ter School Transparency Epic Charter Schools exterior, in northwest Oklahoma City. school district must send
and Reform Act, and Epic and other virtual charter schools collaborated with state the student’s records to
sent the measure to Gov. lawmakers on House Bill 2905, which is headed to the governor’s the virtual school within
Kevin Stitt’s desk. desk after passing the Senate on Monday. THE OKLAHOMAN FILE three school days.
Lawmakers wrote the A public school stu-
bill in collaboration with If this pandemic has education. dent would be allowed
virtual charter schools demonstrated anything, Under HB 2905, each one transfer per aca-
and organizations rep- it’s that we all must virtual charter school demic year to a virtual
resenting traditional work together to serve student would have to charter school.
school districts. all Oklahoma students.” complete 72 instruc- The bill would require
Epic Charter Schools, HB 2905 would bring tional activities each a virtual charter school
the state’s largest vir- widespread changes to quarter, a significant to give an orientation
tual school system, virtual charter schools, increase from the cur- to all new enrollees
participated in nego- from student transfers rent minimum of 40. before they complete
tiations, said Shelly to truancy rules. Rep. Instructional activi- any instructional activ-
Hickman, assistant Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, ties will be classified as ities. Current virtual
superintendent of and Sen. Dewayne meetings with a teacher, charter school students
communications. Pemberton, R-Musk- tests, school-sanctioned would have to complete
“Epic came to the ogee, were the principal field trips, orientation an orientation before
table with fellow educa- authors of the bill. and completed assign- continuing with instruc-
tors working on this bill State schools Superin- ments that factor into tional activities.
with lawmakers to find tendent Joy Hofmeister a student’s class grade.
common ground,” Hick- urged Stitt to sign the Students would be
man said. “We made bill, saying state laws withdrawn for truancy
the majority of com- have struggled to keep after 15 days without
promises in the spirit of pace with the rapid completing instruc-
being a good teammate. development of virtual tional activities. Those

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 The Freedom Call
May
14
2020
Page
0002 Tulsa Public Schools is using its bright blue activity buses as mobile
hot spots to help students with distance learning. The buses provide
wireless internet access up to 300 feet away and are parked at various
Clip - locations around the city. Photo provided by district
resized
Shift to distance learning
-
43% J
,
highlights stark inequities
-
-
in internet connection
By Jennifer Palmer
Oklahoma Watch
When the coronavirus pandemic
closed school buildings, teachers
were tasked
with connecting
to students from
e afar. Suddenly,
l students’ lack
l of home internet
– access was in
the spotlight.
y A mid-
o March survey by
g the Oklahoma Education Department
t showed that nearly one-quarter of the
t state’s public school students, about
e 167,000, don’t have internet access at
w home.
p That means in places like Hugo, a
o community of 5,100 in southeastern
Oklahoma, teachers had to try to
r reach students through phone calls,
l emails and letters. The district has
d distributed hundreds of schoolwork
n paper packets to students who are
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n 'HVSLWHWKHH൵RUWVVRPHVWXGHQWV
n didn’t respond.
H “We are lucky to have an
e outstanding group of teachers who
o found creative ways to reach their
students during the crisis,” said
, Superintendent Earl Dalke. “If we
n had been able to provide learning
opportunities to all students online,
r we would have been able to do a far
 better job.”
y In some rural areas, internet
e service is spotty or slow or even
nonexistent. Districts have been
V scrambling to buy hot spots, which
l create a wireless internet connection
e through cellular networks. That
G created a backlog with cellular
o companies, with orders taking
m weeks. Some districts rolled wireless
internet-enabled school buses into
N neighborhoods or welcomed families
t to school parking lots for a signal.
t It’s a patchwork approach that
e R൶FLDOVVD\LVOHDYLQJVRPHVWXGHQWV
behind.
a It’s also a hasty, crisis-driven
g approach, given the circumstances.
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l relief dollars presents an opportunity
to address what state Superintendent
s of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister
r called “a lingering issue,” meaning
inadequate broadband at home.
s The state is expecting $160
o million in federal relief funds for
K-12 education, 90% of which
d will be allocated directly to school
n districts. Ten percent, or $16 million,
c can be spent by the department.
f Gov. Kevin Stitt, like all state
governors, is receiving an additional
federal grant for education from the
governor’s emergency education
d relief fund. Stitt is set to receive $40
t million. Stitt said on April 17 that he
is considering spending some of the
funds on a private school scholarship
6 fund or for Advanced Placement
orig.pdf 1
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
Page 2
classes in rural areas, drawing
widespread backlash.
“Our primary focus is on
connectivity and the ability to close
the digital divide,” Hofmeister said
about the department’s portion of
funds. She proposed that Stitt also
use his portion on internet access.
“Our schools are looking for a long-
term plan.”
Secretary of Education Betsy
DeVos also is urging school districts to
use the funds to invest in “technology,
distance learning resources, training
and long-term planning,” to support
distance learning, according to a
recent press release.
Even when schools reopen,
likely this fall, some situations could
require another pivot to distance
learning. A resurgence of COVID-19
could require widespread closures
again. Social distancing could lead
schools to hold more digital days to
reduce risk. Individual students could
be distance learning if exposure
to COVID-19 requires them to
quarantine at home.
Districts’ relief funds will be
distributed through the Title 1
formula, which is based on the
number of low-income students
served by the district. But the funds
have fewer restrictions than Title 1
funds. For instance, federal CARES
Act funds can be spent on technology
infrastructure upgrades that impact
the entire district.
“Think about internet access
through Wi-Fi and the ability to not
only impact common education, but
students regardless of where they go
to school,” Hofmeister said. “This
is more of a global, comprehensive
answer.”
Greatest Needs Are Rural
Ninety-nine percent of schools in
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speed internet and Wi-Fi in classrooms
to support digital learning, according
to EducationSuperHighway, a
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Internet access in public schools.
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Luther and internet access is “really
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Luther’s superintendent. That’s the
case in many communities.
“We’re not as rural as most
schools, and it’s spotty out here in
certain places,” Gunn said. Luther is
less than 30 miles from downtown
Oklahoma City on the eastern side
Oklahoma County.
Fewer than half of Oklahoma’s
rural residents have access to high-
speed internet – one of the lowest
percentages of any state, according
to a Federal Communications
Commission report. Only two states
reported a smaller percentage of rural
access: Arizona and Nevada.
That’s 651,000 Oklahomans in
rural areas who don’t have access
See Learning Page 5
14-May-20 17:06:51
 Clip
May 2020 Page resized From
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The Freedom Call
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From Page 2 Learning
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download speeds of at least 25
megabits per second.
“In today’s world, how we are
interconnected is a necessity,” said
David Ostrowe, state secretary
of digital transformation and
administration. He wants to see all
Oklahomans have not only access,
but speeds of at least 100 megabits
per second, a goal he called “lofty.”
“Rural access is currently the
biggest hurdle. It is very expensive
to provide internet access to these
areas,” Ostrowe said.
Hot Spots, Equity
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workarounds is a portable hot spot,
which taps into a cellular network
and provides internet access. These
devices are how Epic Charter
Schools, the state’s largest virtual
school with nearly 30,000 students
across the state, provides internet to
any student who needs it. Like other
schools, Epic will receive federal
relief funds.
The devices Epic provides work
independent of a family’s cell phone
and the school pays the monthly data
plans for the service, said Shelly
Hickman, a spokeswoman for Epic.
Demand for hot spots soared
in the past few weeks as schools
transitioned to distance learning.
Dozens of school districts across
the country have contacted
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to improve internet access and
device accessibility for low-income
families, about purchasing hot spots
and LG -enabled tablets, said Chief
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There’s a backlog, she said, and
orders that previously would have
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taking two or three weeks. Schools
are trying to order thousands at a
time. In the meantime, students
are trying to transition to distance
learning without the tools they need,
adding stress to an already stressful
situation.
“We are talking about kids who
are already behind,” Fernandez said.
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learning.”
Tulsa Public Schools, the state’s
second largest district, distributed
tens of thousands of Chromebooks.
But getting all students connected to
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“We provided a computer to
any child who needed one, and
we were able to do that because
of the generosity of Tulsans,” said
Superintendent Deborah Gist,
referring to bond dollars. “The
challenge is internet access.”
The Tulsa school board Monday
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
night approved the purchase of 1,500
hotspots to give students internet
access for summer school.
High-speed internet is available
to 95% of Oklahomans living in
urban areas and less than 50% of
those in rural areas, according to the
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statewide. Even with low-cost plans
available, providers can deny service
based on a family’s credit history.
One solution the district has used
is parking a school bus with free Wi-
Fi at various locations throughout the
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Similarly, Oklahoma City Public
Schools has welcomed families to
its school parking lots to access
free Wi-Fi while schools are closed.
And in Tahlequah, the local electric
cooperative has added two free public
Wi-Fi spots at a school and city park
as part of the FCC’s “Keep Americans
Connected” initiative, according to
the Tahlequah Daily Press. More
than 700 companies have signed the
pledge to not terminate service due to
customers’ inability to pay their bills,
waive late fees and open Wi-Fi hot
spots to Americans who need them.
School solutions such as these,
while helpful temporarily, are not
suitable long-term, said Fernandez,
of EveryoneOn. And they present
equity issues.
“We want access that is equitable
and ubiquitous. We don’t expect
higher-income families to drive to a
parking lot to access the internet,” she
said.
Long-Term Solutions
When the state ordered a full
switch to distance learning for all
districts on April 6, Idabel was ready.
A month before schools shuttered
for the coronavirus pandemic, Idabel
Public Schools held the district’s
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Superintendent Doug Brown had
heard about on a podcast, and he
wanted to try it as part of an ongoing
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technology.
Three years ago, the district started
providing hot spots to teachers, and
when they upgraded, the district held
on to the older ones for student use.
“We check them out like a library
book,” he said. They also are a one-
to-one district, meaning all students
have a computer or tablet to use. The
community approved a $1 million
age 5
bond for technology equipment in
2017.
“We’ve been really blessed.
We were really prepared for this
situation,” Brown said.
Student participation in Idabel’s
distance learning is averaging over
90%, which he called “phenomenal.”
The district, in far southeastern
Oklahoma, has 1,200 students this
year. Nearly 90% are eligible for free
or reduced-price lunch, an indicator
of poverty. Brown said that drives
his push to increase technology
access.
“Technology is here and it’s not
going away, and we have to move
forward in our educational system,”
he said. “It’s even more important
for poor districts to provide these
opportunities.”
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organization that produces in-depth
and investigative journalism on
important public-policy issues facing
the state. The organization’s website
is at www.oklahomawatch.org.