Fresno Unified spent millions on tablets. Why doesn’t every student have one?
Fresno Unified in 2018 spent $2.8 million on thousands of tablets for students, devices that could prove critical for students during the school shutdown that Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested could last for months.
During the last two years, about 20,000 tablets have been distributed to Fresno Unified students, according to Board President Keshia Thomas.
But not every student has received their tablet and parents and advocates fear those students will be left behind as schools scramble to move classrooms online amid the coronavirus virus outbreak that has shuttered nearly every school in California.
“We worry that the students of Fresno are already behind academically, and we don’t want them to fall further behind,” community leader of Familia’s Empoderadas Alise Aleman said. “There are a lot of families who don’t have their tablets. This is a very serious problem.”
According to FUSD records, the district’s eLearning program started in 2018 and eventually expanded to each grade level and includes WiFi hotspots for students. It was designed for low-income students who may not have an at-home computer or tablet.
It’s unclear how many Fresno Unified students have yet to receive the district-approved devices. District officials did not provide those numbers this week.
Schools have stopped distributing hot spots and tablets since the shutdown.
Fresno Unified spokesperson Nikki Henry said the district would “most likely” announce a distribution plan later this week, but provided no details.
It’s also unclear why some students are without a tablet more than six months into the school year, but Thomas said at least part of the problem could be tied to families not signing up for the program online.
“It may be one of the reasons all students haven’t received their tablets,” she said.
Parents must create an ATLAS account on the FUSD website and sign an agreement before tablets are provided. The portal is currently only in English, making it difficult for non-English speakers to understand.
“We’re trying to get a new protocol in place,” Thomas said. “My big ask is, we send grades via text and via email. Can I send a text and parents can sign off? “
Thomas says they are working on a better way to deploy more tablets.
Phone operators for the districts COVID-19 hotline (559-457-3395) are collecting names and contact information, preparing a list for future distribution, Thomas said.
She said high school seniors will be first in line to receive tablets, once the plan is in place.
“We are working hard trying to make sure our kids have what they need, the most important part is that we don’t keep our kids back next year,” Thomas said.
Other large California districts are confronting similar problems since the shutdown.
According to Ed Source, Los Angeles Superintendent Austin Beutner announced on Monday, they are working with Verizon wireless and plan to spend $100 million to provide free internet to children in the L.A. school district who don’t have access.
L.A. Unified and San Diego Unified, the second-biggest district in the state, in a joint a letter asked the state lawmakers to consider emergency state funding for their school districts to help with distance learning. They requested a minimum of $500 per student.
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This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 10:25 AM.