District 20 aims to make e-learning more equitable

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- With schools in Colorado closed until April 17, many students here in the Springs are getting used to e-learning from home.

But what about kids who don't have access to devices or the internet at home? Academy District 20 says they've been asking themselves that same question since school closures were announced earlier this month. 

"We have had some families already reach out to us personally via phone, called their principal, and said, 'We're having trouble with technology. We don't have enough or we don't have any,'" said District 20 Public Information Officer Allison Cortez. 

Though they don't have all the answers yet, Cortez says they've been working toward a solution.

"Our information technology department is reaching out to schools, providing them with surveys that they then can provide to families," she said. 

Cortez says they still don't know when schools will reopen, so they're focusing on how they can recreate end-of-year milestones students might miss.

"We know graduations may not look normal, prom may not look normal," says Cortez. "We're working with them to try to figure out how can we honor them, how we can salute them." 

If your student doesn't have access to the internet from home, Cortez says you can connect to the district's WiFi from any of their campuses. 

If you do go to a campus to access the internet, make sure you're following CDC guidelines for being out in public during the COVID-19 outbreak.