65% of students learning online, District changes begin Monday

By J. NOEL ESPINOZA

The San Benito Consolidated Independent School District released a critical announcement on Tuesday to avoid the spread of COVID-19 through physical interactions and proposed changes to its current operations starting Monday.

Some of the new changes include providing a week’s worth of breakfast and lunch combos to eligible children only on Mondays as well as the continuity of instructional services through distance online learning and instructional packet delivery “by mail only.”

Check-out
An SBCISD employee checks out a laptop at a home campus for a family’s educational needs. (Courtesy of SBCISD)

Although the complete information is not yet available, SBCISD Public Relations Director Isabel Gonzalez said approximately 65% of students in grades 3-12 are working/communicating online.

However, she added, some students able to work online have also been picking up the paper instructional packets to manually complete their assignments.

SBCISD has checked out almost 3,000 computer devices via drive-thru distribution at each home campus.
“This technology initiative was intended to provide our students with an additional tool to help them complete their assignments online as well as an avenue for them to connect with their teachers via Google Classroom, Zoom, and other communication platforms,” she said.

As of March 13, 2020, the total enrollment for San Benito CISD was 10,109.

According to SBCISD’s enrollment figures published last year, there were 10,158 students registered as of Aug. 2019.

Monday’s announcement states that instructional packages will no longer be that. I believe this is why it’s so hard for me and many here to accept what’s happening, even as our mobility is capped, our socializing limited and our health, mental and physical, compromised.

But most of us understand the need to comply, for the greater good, to survive past this aberrant period, knowing that optimism for a post-pandemic future that works for us is the only option. To concede otherwise is to admit there is no reason for anything at all.

For those who don’t understand, and will scale this hill decrying their individual liberties being infringed, may find comfort in figuratively dying on it, but literally doing so is not worth it. Shift your thinking towards the collective, and hold those who got us here accountable, by any means necessary.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2020/04/10/65-of-students-learning-online-district-changes-begin-monday/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.