As schools reopen amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, many school districts are going virtual only, or are working on a hybrid model, where students attend a mix of in-person and online classes. While attending school from home is pretty evidently a safer option amid a global pandemic, home doesn’t hold the same opportunities for every student. For example, not all students have access to reliable or affordable internet, much less enough technology at home for every child to participate in school.
After a photo of two small children doing schoolwork in the parking lot of a Taco Bell in order to use its Wi-Fi went viral on Instagram and Twitter, the California school district gave the family a hotspot so the little girls could do their schooling at home, as reported by CNN. But the issue of structural inequality is, sadly, a nationwide problem. This family's story is also reportedly more complex, but going viral may have helped them get some much-needed community aid.
First, the viral image. Just one photo of the incident seems to have gone viral, which includes masked Taco Bell employees talking to the two small children, whose faces have been covered in the image. The children appear to have coursework laid out in front of them. Eventually, the Salinas City Elementary School District identified the children as two of their students. The names of the children and family have not been revealed for privacy reasons.
As reported by Complex, after the photo of the children went viral, some people became concerned not just about the structural inequalities impacting their education, but about potential neglect. Child Protective Services officials reportedly investigated the family and found no signs of abuse or neglect. However, Complex reports that the local community started a GoFundMe campaign for the family, as they were reportedly in danger of becoming homeless. According to NBC News, the campaign has raised more than $115,000 for the family so far.
As Daily Kos has covered, lack of internet access is a considerable barrier in today’s age for anyone, but especially for students. For example, 25% of students in Tennessee did not have the internet at home in 2019, either because they could not afford it, or because the service wasn’t even available in their area. In fact, according to a recent study, roughly 30% of students between kindergarten and 12th grade either do not have adequate internet access at home or do not have the appropriate technology to use it. While some communities rallied to supply public school students with free technologies and service earlier in the pandemic, like in one Detroit school district, leaving things up to individual districts or states is a ripe opportunity for inequality to flourish.
