Rural schools that close because of the coronavirus must consider digital divide, lack of child care, and kids' hunger

Screenshot of Education Week's map of schools closed due to
the coronavirus; click here to view the interactive version.

Schools all over the nation are considering whether to close in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Some school districts have closed for one day to allow for deep cleaning, and some have closed for weeks or longer. Rural superintendents must weigh additional factors when making the decision, including the digital divide, the lack of childcare, and hunger.

Rural students, especially in low-income families, are less likely to have any internet access at home, let alone broadband. That makes distance learning difficult, Andrea Noble reports for Route Fifty.

Also, younger children will need childcare if school is canceled, and it can be difficult for rural parents to find affordable, decent childcare, especially at the last minute. To add to that difficulty, some childcare centers are temporarily closing because of the coronavirus, Anna North reports for Vox.

Another consideration: Rural students who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals may miss meals if schools are closed. Concern about keeping children fed has been a key factor in some high-poverty school districts' decision to stay open, Liz Crampton reports for Politico.

The Department of Agriculture said last weekend that schools forced to close can employ programs used during the summer to feed low-income children. "USDA, on a state-by-state basis, said it will waive the requirement that students must eat in group settings. The department will also allow meals to be served at off-campus sites like libraries and churches. Washington and California have already received such approvals," Crampton reports. "But that allowance only covers areas where more than 50 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals." School administrators and nutrition groups are pressing the federal government to make more children eligible for free or reduced-price meals during extended school closures.

Over 850,000 children have been affected by such closures so far, some in rural areas, according to Education Week, which is updating its nationwide interactive map of closures twice a day.