HOUSTON — We've heard the stories of students struggling to keep up with virtual learning, sometimes just because of a lack of resources. So why is the digital divide so wide in the Houston area?
A lot of it comes down to access. The Houston Chronicle crunched the numbers and found in the area's ten largest school districts, about nine percent of households had no computer. Nearly twice that number had no broadband internet access.
And in some districts, that number is even higher. Alief ISD officials reported 40 percent of their students had no internet. Without a computer and internet, going to virtual school is nearly impossible.
That has left school districts scrambling to get their kids connected. Districts across the area have handed out computers and wi-fi hotspots to families. Just in Harris County, more than 120,000 mobile hot spots and 250,000 devices have been distributed, thanks to funding from the county.
But not all districts in the area have the money to help. Some have been forced to just provide printed materials to kids doing virtual learning. Experts say those children run a real risk of falling behind.