Student, 9, forced to sit outside the classroom every day to learn online

Heartbreaking footage shows a fourth grader who has to sit outside his school in New Mexico in order to access WiFi internet to complete learning assignments online.

9-year-old Jonathan Endecott, from the Roswell district, sat every day outside his elementary school, closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, because he does not have internet access at home.

The images show Jonathan lying on the concrete looking at his laptop, or sitting with it propped up against a cardboard box, outside an elementary school classroom so he can participate in remote classes.

Schools in your district are only teaching online lessons due to the pandemic.

Jonathan’s mother, Angel Endecott, told KRQE News 13 that she lost both of her jobs due to the pandemic and that the family was unable to pay for the internet.

But Jonathan is “very independent,” he said, and decided to walk to school to use the Internet there.

“He was like, ‘Yeah, I need to be back on school property and I could be like a normal kid again,'” he told CNN. “Just being out of the building gives him that ‘Hey, I’m at school’ feeling even though he’s not with other classmates or teachers.”

The family doesn’t live very far from the elementary school, so Jonathan’s parents felt comfortable with him spending the day there, he said.

“The principal, the secretary and some teachers, they do come out to see how he is and see if he needs anything,” he said.

But seeing the young man outside the building, day after day, had an effect on one teacher. He ended up sharing a photo of him online.

“This child does not have Internet at home. He has been getting up and walking to school every day to connect to the school WiFi from outside the school. He sits there every day from 8: 00-2: 45” , Sabrina Talbott Wrote Harbor.

“When I taught at Roswell, some of my kids had DIRTY floors. No cars, no heat, no water, and no food. The only hugs may have come from the teachers or their friends. Their only food may have come from school.

“I had a closet with deodorant, soap, a couple of changes of clothes, etc. for the kids who didn’t have access to those things and it would give them time to go to the bathroom to clean up and introduce themselves.

“This is not right. Children will be better off in school. Children are suffering socially, academically, mentally and physically,” Harbor added.

The image sparked a fundraising campaign to help the family with their finances.

One person has already offered to pay for the family’s Internet service for a whole year, and now Jonathan’s mother has created a GoFundMe account to help them with other expenses.

“We have always lived from paycheck to paycheck. With God’s help we have always managed to get just enough to live with what we had to pay. When Covid hit. At first it did not affect my job. About 2 months ago that changed. I lost my job. with weekly salary, “Angel wrote.

“I cannot express enough my appreciation for the help that the community has already given us with our Internet,” he said. “We will also gladly accept donations, such as bathroom supplies or anything someone wants to help with.”