Internet access thwarts Gresham virtual learning plans

GRESHAM — Rural internet access was an issue in Shawano County long before the coronavirus rolled into town. But now that schools are closed, the issue is really hitting home for the Gresham School District.

The district invited parents March 27 to come collect their children’s belongings that had been left in lockers and classrooms following the sudden closure of schools statewide. At the same time, classroom packets were supplied to help keep students learning, according to Superintendent Newell Haffner. The problem isn’t with the district’s technology — Haffner said teachers were eager to launch virtual learning this week — but with the lack of internet access in the village of Gresham and the surrounding towns that make up the district.

Office staff contacted all families by phone last week to determine how feasible virtual learning would be, but many parents reported living in an area where internet connectivity is almost nonexistent. With most businesses closed down except for the essentials and everyone required to be homebound as much as possible, there are scarcely any Wi-Fi hotspots available around the village for families to utilize.

This means teachers would only be able to reach students with internet access, and the rest of the class would be left behind.

“If they aren’t in the building, they can’t do their homework,” Haffner said, pointing out that virtual learning would include sending in work assignments for grading.

With that in mind, the district is trying to figure out how and even if it will grade assignments brought back in, not knowing if school will be back in session anytime before the anticipated last day in early June. Currently, all schools are closed indefinitely on the order of Gov. Tony Evers.

Haffner said the district is looking at having parents come to the school weekly to turn in assignments, possibly on Fridays. It would not be feasible to have the homework and learning packets shuttled back and forth on the same school buses that deliver the free meals currently, as not all families signed up for the program, even though the district is reporting 188 students participating in the meal program in its first week last week.

“We’ve got the free breakfasts and lunches going, which really help our kids,” Haffner said. “We’re probably helping 130 families right now.”

Ideally, the district would prefer to do virtual learning, as it is the easiest and most efficient way to keep students learning, according to Haffner, but it can’t be done with a huge chunk of families not having access to the internet.

“If they don’t all have it, we can’t do it,” Haffner said.

Continuing learning is not the only snag the school is having to deal with during the coronavirus pandemic. Plans to occupy the new addition recently completed for the school are also on hold, and it’s unclear whether Gresham will be able to have a graduation ceremony in May, dependent on what social restrictions are still in place by then. The Safer at Home act from Evers put strong restrictions in place through April 24, but President Donald Trump extended federal guidelines through the end of April.

“As long as we’re spread out enough in a building, we’re OK,” Haffner said. “That’s how I have the teachers when they come into work — one’s in the far wing, one in the old (1935) wing and one in the elementary wing, and then we don’t have any risks of transmission.”

Haffner said that moving furniture and other equipment into the new addition would still be possible, but with far fewer volunteers being able to help out in order to comply with social distancing requirements.

“I’m joking that I’m going to go over there and start installing stuff myself at night or on weekends,” Haffner said.

The district’s annual theatrical production was supposed to debut this week, but it’s unclear whether that will be rescheduled, although Haffner said he’d be open to doing it as a summer show.

What Haffner doesn’t want to do, however, is scrap the graduation ceremony, but with timetables up in the air for potentially months, the superintendent might have to face the possibility.

“I’m trying not to cancel graduation, even though people are telling me I should cancel it,” Haffner said. “I want to give every chance that I can get for my seniors to walk across the stage.”

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com