INDIANAPOLIS — For teachers, parents and students, the start of the school year has been unlike any other.
Five months into the pandemic, some school districts have spent millions of dollars to make sure teachers and students have the supplies and equipment they need to succeed.
Some low-income families say their biggest struggle is not being able to afford needed classroom supplies, since students will now have to share those supplies, but for one Noblesville family, that's actually not the biggest problem. It's the internet.
"If they don't have their camera on and their teacher can't see them or if they're not checked into the Zoom, then they are marked absent, and that happened twice to her today because the internet connection wasn't working," said Amy Leap.
Leap's daughter is a freshman at Noblesville High School, where they're now on a hybrid model, using a school-issued iPad.
Back in March, when the pandemic forced students into 100 percent virtual learning, Leap says school leaders stepped up to help as best they could.
"There were a lot of hot spots that the school had put out for people who may not have Wi-Fi at home and the library as well," said Leap. "There's been times when teachers have sent out an email saying 'Hey, I lost my connection in the class, try to rejoin the class in 10 minutes.'"
While virtual learning has been a challenge, Leap says school leaders are doing the best they can.
"I really think they've done a great job, and they've done a really good job communicating with all the changes and the changes that are still happening," said Leap.
Leaders in Indianapolis Public Schools spent about $27 million on COVID-19-related expenses. That includes supplying students with iPads or Chromebooks and mobile hot spots for connectivity, building upgrades like plastic barriers and touchless water fountains. Another $1 million was spent on PPE, and nearly $3 million was set to hire bus monitors to enforce safety rules.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools, a smaller school district, spent a lot less. Leaders paid $78,000 on PPE for students.
To help districts cover costs, the state is providing $61 million for connectivity and remote learning including: WiFi and cellular access, tablets and laptops. The money will benefit 670,000 students at 1,366 public schools, 64 charter schools and 124 non-public schools.
- 68,689 student devices
- 2,855 teacher devices
- Internet access to those households in need