Manatee schools say they’re ready for online classes. Some students still need technology

Donning gloves and smiles, employees at Rowlett Middle Academy greeted families on Wednesday morning. They would see each other again, but for the next three weeks — at a minimum — they would meet online.

Rowlett lined its car loop with 10 desks, each separated by at least 6 feet, and the employees distributed iPads at each station. Families stayed in their cars, signed a form and kept the pen, helping to prevent the spread of germs.

About 300 students signed up for an iPad, their new classroom for the next several weeks. In response to COVID-19, a respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, Florida closed all schools until April 15.

Traditional schools begin their online education Monday, but students at Rowlett began last week, said Shelbi Ericsson, the assistant principal.

“While we know a lot of students have devices at home, many of them don’t have a device they can work on long term,” she said. “For example, some of our students do a lot of work on their phones. Working on a phone long term is not a good solution.”

The school is making every decision with flexibility and understanding, she said. With the closure of schools, Rowlett students might be at their parents’ workplace in the daytime.

In other cases, parents might start working from home and using the household computer, leaving students without a device for online classes.

Rowlett provided the iPads to connect students with their teachers. They can join a live session, or they can access a recording and do the work on evenings or weekends, Ericsson said.

Rylie Bradley joined her first virtual class last week. Bradley, a seventh-grader at Rowlett, said she managed to use her cellphone and her family’s outdated iPad.

She said the transition to online learning was simple, and Wednesday’s technology upgrade was a bonus. Bradley was taking the changes in stride.

“I can sit on my bed and do work, so it’s fine,” she said.

Rowlett uploads content to Google Classroom, and live conversations are scheduled with teachers and fellow students on Zoom, a platform for online meetings.

Using the same technology, Rowlett employees reconnected during a leadership meeting, said Dudley Leigh, the school’s curriculum and arts coordinator.

“For so long, especially with adults, I’ve heard them say technology has isolated people,” she said. “What we’re really finding out, using Zoom and all of the other tools, it’s bringing kids together.”

Online learning in Manatee’s traditional schools

Students enrolled in Manatee County’s traditional schools are learning on different platforms and devices.

Manatee is using an online service called Schoology to host its virtual classes, which begin on Monday. At a recent meeting, district leaders said 12,000 Chromebook laptops were available to students in need.

The district was still working to make sure all students had access to the internet, and the necessary technology was expected to arrive between April 3 and April 10, after the start of classes.

On Tuesday evening, the school board approved up to $102,000 in spending, covering an order of WiFi hotspots and other needed equipment.

Superintendent Cynthia Saunders made the hotspot purchase last week, citing an emergency need, and she placed the agreement on Tuesday’s agenda for official approval.

For a monthly charge of $20 per device, the district is receiving 400 WiFi hotspots and unlimited data, according to the agreement. The contract totals $8,000 per month, or $96,000 for the year.

The district also plans to purchase T-Mobile sim cards and equip 25 buses with WiFi, creating mobile hotspots and bringing internet to the community, according to a school board document.

“Drivers will park the buses next to a designated location at specific times,” the document states.

Richard Corcoran, the state education commissioner, announced flexible spending rules on March 17. Education funding is often restricted to certain uses, and he allowed schools to redirect money for the purchase of needed technology.

“In order to facilitate the remote connection between teachers and students, K-12 shool districts are further permitted to redirect unspent Title 2 funds to help low-income students purchase digital devices and establish internet services,” the state reported.

Two days later, Saunders declared an emergency and ordered the WiFi hotspots.

In her Statement of Emergency on March 19, the superintendent said there were students “without the ability or capacity to go online,” and she wanted to avoid “a substantial loss of education.”

This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 4:09 PM.