Lack of broadband access adds to challenges for school districts in Greater Minnesota

Students in the Blue Earth (MN) Area Schools district are staying connected with their school communities through a spirit week challenge posted on the district’s Facebook page that’s already been shared 80 times. When it comes to ensuring equitable access to lessons, however, Superintendent Mandy Fletcher says she and her staff are having to put a lot more thought into how they plan to use online platforms. The district became a one-to-one district several years ago. It currently has enough Chromebooks to pair each student in grades 3-12 with their own device. And they have enough in stock to distribute them to younger students whose parents indicated they didn’t have access to a device at home. In that regard, it’s better positioned to support distance learning online than many of its counterparts in Greater Minnesota. But then there’s the connectivity piece. “As far as internet access goes, that’s definitely a concern, given that we are in a rural area,” Fletcher said. Faced with an unprecedented ask — to prepare distance learning plans to allow students to complete their studies from home as the COVID-19 pandemic runs its course, if need be — rural districts are troubleshooting ways to immediately expand internet access to all student households. 

Not only do teachers need to be mindful of bandwidth limitations, but they also need to be mindful of the fact that not all students have access to the internet at home — a barrier that raises equity concerns as well. To troubleshoot, a number of educators have been creating lecture videos that can be downloaded to students’ devices and watched at home without the need for an internet connection.