Page 4 - The Edge Issue 8

COVID-19 has presented drastic hurdles for families, businesses, and schools alike. With over 13,000 cases of this new disease in Florida, 88 of
them in Brevard, the school district has been forced to quickly adjust in order to keep up.
Many students in Brevard rely on their school’s Free and Reduced Lunch Program to provide them meals every weekday. When school is in session, these students are offered free or cheaper lunches based on the income of their family. For some children, these lunches are crucial, and with schools closed across the state, some children are struggling to feed themselves every week. To address this problem, Brevard Public SChools has established 27 different sites around the county at which children can receive free meals. Any child unader 18 is qualified to receive these meals, with sites open from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Funded by the federal government, these meals contain a breakfast and a lunch that may represent life-saving calories for children. The Assistant Superintendent of Brevard Public Schools, Matt Reed, believes it is important that students receive their needed nutrition every
day, even despite school closings.
“Everyone felt that it was critical to provide
that. It’s one of our big daily functions in order to help students be able to come to school and
be nourished and ready to learn,” said Reed. While every student has lost some of their high school experience because of the pandemic, high school seniors stand to lose more than most. Prom, GradBash, and other senior events are some of the staples of a student’s high school experience, and losing the opportunity to make those memories has been heart-wrenching for many seniors. While graduation ceremonies are still scheduled as normal, they may be forced to be rescheduled to a later date in the summer. Despite all of these challenges, the school board is making sure every senior graduates with their required diplomas, credits, tests,
and grades.
“We are going to make sure that they graduate on time, and that we believe
in them, and that we are so grateful
for their flexibility,” said Reed. “Nobody would wish this on anybody’s senior year
in high school, or really any year, but... we are going to do our very, very best to give them a good experience.”
The Class of 2020 isn’t the only class to deal with different experiences. Every student has been learning how to adjust to a digital learning experience, which so far has proven a success. In fact, according to data collected by the school board, 90 percent of students are logging on and learning each day. Despite unfamiliarity with online school, this transition hasn’t disrupted the teaching and learning process for many students. Most middle school and high school education already takes place digitally. FOCUS, Classlink Launchpad, and emailing are the most effective ways to contact teachers.
“Students already do so much work through technology that really what’s changing is the location, where they’re doing most of their work,” said Reed.
While some colleges have integrated live streaming into their curriculum, this method is difficult to implement for high school courses. Every student’s schedule would be different and complicated, and siblings would often have to share a single device.
Students without internet and devices don’t have to worry about not receiving education either. Students without laptops or computers have been notified that they are able to borrow the laptops from their schools. Over 15,000 laptops have been distributed to Brevard’s students so far. As for those without internet access, hotspots are being set up to ensure access to digital classwork.
Some students, however, are just unable to work digitally. These students, such as students with special needs or students in transition - that is, homeless or foster children - have received paper packets with all of their needed materials.
The historic times in which we are living require us to adjust to monumental life changes every day. While these times can be daunting for students, the county and school board have been working tirelessly to ensure that every student has access to everything that they need to learn and thrive in digital school.
“We are working with parents to do whatever it takes to make sure they don’t get left behind,” said Reed.
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Story by Thien-Nhi Nguyen
As the infamous COVID-19 spreads throughout the world, Brevard schools quickly adapt and prepare students for this unique and new challenge.
COPING WITH
COVID-19