In a survey, 62 percent of educators and administrators reported that they were somewhat or very concerned about returning to school while the coronavirus remains a threat, according to the report. “The issue of the school workforce is not really discussed much,” said Dr. Bond.
Racial and socioeconomic inequalities are another major concern. Communities where children struggle to learn in dilapidated, understaffed schools are also most affected by the pandemic, said Keisha Scarlett, committee member and chief of equity, partnerships and participation at Seattle Public Schools.
Remote learning is often difficult for children from low-income families. Nationally, about 30 percent of indigenous families and about 20 percent of black and Latino families do not have or only have access to the Internet through a smartphone, compared to 7 percent of white families and 4 percent of Asian families.
Adults in these communities are also more likely to be essential workers who cannot stay home with their children, Dr. Scarlett said. Hospitalization rates for Covid-19 are four to five times higher in black, Latino, and indigenous populations than among whites.
“Covid-19 exacerbates those disparities,” said Dr. Scarlett.
The report also noted significant differences between rural and urban schools. About 26 percent of people in rural districts and 32 percent of people living on tribal land do not have reliable access to the Internet.
Sixth-grade science teacher Samuel Berry-Foster Sr. lives outside Asheville, North Carolina, in a pocket of the Appalachian Mountains, with his wife and two school-age children.
For his family and those of many of his students, Berry-Foster said, even a simple phone call can be fraught with delays and problems. For more than one family member being online at the same time is “impossible”.
