While school systems around the country continue to cope with the struggles of distance learning and feeding its youth during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Gilmer continues to hum along.
The Gilmer School System resumed remote learning Monday following a week off for spring break. Middle school and high school students are back to using Chromebook laptops while younger students have made use of assignment packets.
An obstacle that has been addressed is the absence of internet access for all students. One does not need constant online access while using a Chromebook, but it is required to download and turn in assignments.
Gilmer Schools Superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs gave an update on educating students remotely at Monday’s board of education work session.
“This is an evolving process with our distance learning, and we were back up and running today (Monday) after spring break,” she said.
“We have had great help in getting Wi-Fi throughout the county. We have the Kajeet (mobile hotspot) Wi-Fi to-go that students have checked out. We have some students on a waiting list for some of those, but it’s very little. ETC has helped us immensely with that. They have put Wi-Fi at multiple locations around the county.”
She added, “The owner of Mulberry Street Apartments allowed ETC to make a hotspot there. Beasley Road was another one (we considered). In order to install a hotspot you have to have a secure location that can be locked and you have to have power. There is not that at Beasley Road, but East Ellijay Baptist Church is right down the road. I contacted Betsy and Chad Kelly today and we have worked out where students can get on their Wi-Fi as well.”
In addition to Mulberry Street Apartments and East Ellijay Baptist Church locations, Downs said they are exploring the option of adding a Wi-Fi hotspot at the trailer park on Tower Road. Downs estimated that 95 percent of students using Chromebooks have online access.
Students in kindergarten though fifth grade are not using Chromebooks, though some online instruction has taken place. Instead, they have relied on assignment packets.
“In the elementary grades there is not a technology requirement,” Downs said. “It’s a choice board of activities to do. It’s the same for all kindergarten students regardless of which of the three schools they attend. Those were distributed on Monday and we got our new packets out.
“The teachers at those grade levels are working with students online even though it’s not a requirement. They’re holding classes and reading books and having class meetings. They’re having those interactions even though we are not officially 1:1 (with Chromebooks).”
School system resumes meal program
The Seamless Feeding Program that has been in place since classes were suspended March 16 resumed this week.
Students received last week off for spring break, which meant federal and state funds were not available to the school system. However, that did not stop others from stepping up and filling the void in the program’s absence.
“Last week we were on spring break, and in order to get meal reimbursements through our Seamless Feeding Program we would have had to cancel spring break,” Downs said. “Emergency management stepped in headed up by Al Cash. They got with local organizations and churches, the food pantry and Walmart and provided meals all last week for our spring break.”
Downs noted they served 1,500 lunches and breakfasts Monday.
Hot meals are distributed by buses along normal routes from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. There are static locations on Tower Road and at Mulberry Street Apartments where students can come and pick up meals during the alloted hours.