Schools had to figure out quickly how to get kids online after the coronavirus pandemic shut them down. They had to work with a patchwork approach born of desperation due to the federal failure to get all Americans connected. They scrounged wireless hot spots, struck deals with cable companies and even created networks of their own. Funding challenges and logistical difficulties in getting students what they needed have left as many as 12 million public schoolkids without reliable home broadband. States and philanthropists were crucial. Still, schools are likely to play a role in connecting kids well beyond the pandemic.
‘Big burden’ for schools trying to give kids internet access
