Not All Philly Students Have Computers or High-Speed Internet So School District Cancels Remote Learning

The Philadelphia School District canceled all remote learning for students while they are off from school because not all kids have acce...

The Philadelphia School District canceled all remote learning for students while they are off from school because not all kids have access to a computer and high-speed internet. 

So all online learning will be canceled.

The superintendent said, “If that’s not available to all children, we cannot make it available to some.”

TIME reported:

The Philadelphia School District will not offer remote instruction during the coronavirus shutdown, the superintendent announced Wednesday, citing equity concerns in a city where many students lack computers or high-speed internet at home.

School districts nationwide have been wrestling with the same issues as they explore ways to keep children engaged as classrooms are shuttered for weeks or longer.

In Philadelphia, where some teachers had been offering forms of optional remote instruction on their own, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said at a City Hall news conference that no students will be required to log on to a computer or submit assignments.

“If that’s not available to all children, we cannot make it available to some,” Hite said.