Closing digital divide just the first step

When the coronavirus pandemic hit in the spring and brought a neartotal shutdown of regular activities, schools were among the biggest question marks. How could children learn remotely when all the training for educators was based on in-person school? What would be done about technological shortfalls, both in terms of hardware and connectivity?

Looking back, it’s amazing the school year was able to be completed at all. Teachers adopted to a new regimen on the fly, and students, who are hardier than they are given credit for, rolled with the changes. A stop-and-start school year beginning in September has proven that the system, for all its challenges, continues to function against long odds.

But it doesn’t function equally for everyone. Too many young people lacked the laptops that were required to carry on school from home, and they tended to be concentrated in the neediest districts. In wealthier towns, such tools were provided as a matter of course from the first day of the shutdown.

Internet connections, too, have been a challenge. Not everyone has access to home Wi-Fi. And even if all the pieces are in place, parents have been forced to give up work to stay home and supervise young people in their learning, putting many families in a difficult position.

To the state’s credit, much progress has been made in closing those gaps. With a vaccine starting to come into sight sometime in the

New Year, Connecticut officials announced this week that laptop computers have been provided for every student identified by their district as in need, with devices and internet connections provided with help from nonprofits, federal aid and donors.

It took a mammoth effort, and one that isn’t finished yet, but finally, months into a situation no one could have foreseen, we are nearing a place where all children will have access to the tools they need to continue their educations in safety. It’s an accomplishment that should not be overlooked.

As Gov. Ned Lamont pointed out, increasing internet access to all corners of the state is important for more than just education. Medical appointments, for instance, have frequently been held remotely during the pandemic, and providing people with the means to take advantage of that possibility is a benefit to public health, as well as being more convenient.

Increased connectivity is not without its difficulties. Children are being introduced to the good and the bad of the internet long before parents might have planned to have those discussions. Online chats need to be monitored among younger students, and pressures that accompany social media are suddenly hitting elementary school-aged children. There are unanticipated questions from all corners.

In general, though, the process has been a positive development for the state of Connecticut. There’s a long winter ahead before life could begin to return to normal, and at-home school will likely be a part of our lives for most of that time. We need to find a way through a difficult time.

But the work of closing the divides between welloff and needy school districts is by no means over. Eliminating digital shortfalls is only one step in that necessary process.

As Gov. Ned Lamont pointed out, increasing internet access to all corners of the state is important for more than just education.