SAN ANTONIO -- Schools all across Texas are adapting to social learning, but that can pose a problem for students who don’t have a computer or internet service. Lanier High School in San Antonio is filling that void by providing those resources to its students.
- Lanier High School providing students with distance learning materials
- Items include hotspots and Chromebooks
- Much of the Lanier neighborhood sits below the poverty line
Moisés Ortiz has only been principal of Lanier for less than a year and he’s learned that his campus is the pride of the San Antonio’s West Side.
“I really have come to appreciate what that means,” Ortiz says. “There’s a lot of pride in this community and there’s a lot of adversity in this community, but they always come together to stick as one and take care of our kiddos.”
Lanier sits in a neighborhood plagued by poverty, and these circumstances can hinder students from participating in social learning.
“There is such a divide between to the people who have and the people who have not,” Patti Radle, SAISD board president, says. “And in this critical situation, this shows up and we have to step up.”
The school has stepped up, providing 1,300 Chromebooks to students who may not have access to a computer at home. The staff also had an answer for families that don’t have internet.
“We are making sure all of our students have access to internet whether it be a hotspot, a Chromebook or any type of electronic devices so that they an connect with the internet and keep up with their school work,” English teacher Jose Ramirez says.
The West Side campus gave away all of its hot spots, but Ortiz says he ordered an additional 250 devices. Multiple stations were created to assist students, including one for families that don't have vehicles. Flyers filled with information on meals, Google Classroom and school registration were handed out, and the 75 staff members provided this service while taking precautions.
“We want to get the parents in here and get them out with their kids between 7 and 10 minutes,” Ortiz says. “For their own health considerations as well as our own as well as our staff.”
In a matter of minutes the devices, and students, are set up for distance learning.
“If you guys have any questions, let us know, but other than that you guys are good to go and we’ll see you online,” baseball coach Steven Cruz says.