By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The technological divide among K-12 students across the country and in parts of Kansas became incredibly visible in light of the pivot to remote learning as a result of COVID-19. It is with that in mind that the Kansas Association of School Boards is advocating for additional funding to be rolled into the proposed coronavirus relief bill to address the issue.
"The homework gap is the gap between internet haves and have nots," said Leah Fliter, Advocacy and Outreach Director for KASB. "In Kansas, a recent study found that more than 150,000 Kansas students don't have reliable home broadband internet access."
Wireless hotspots may be the quickest way to get students on to the internet right now.
"What this bill would do is, it would allow the schools and the libraries to purchase those devices for kids to use during this public health emergency," Fliter said. "Hopefully, as the emergency subsides and perhaps some physical build-out can happen of broadband the schools and libraries would be able to take back those devices and they would be able to just continue to loan them out on an as-needed basis."
Right now, this is generally falling along partisan lines.
"The Senate bill has many sponsors," Fliter said. "All of the folks who have officially signed on to support it are Democrats. I'm not aware of why the Republicans seem to be taking a hands-off on it. I think they're trying to just maybe, bide their time and see how the negotiations go."
It also could be about money, as the bill would appropriate an additional $4 billion, which is over and above what will already be spent on stimulus checks and the like.