Zoom
Superintendent Iline Tracey: Most disengaged students do have computers and internet.
It is the ninth week of school and 3percent of New Haven Public Schools students still have not logged onto virtual classes at all. Another 11 percent, or 2,126 students, are logging on sporadically.
Most of these students do have a computer or tablet and an internet connection. They are often too overwhelmed by other social or economic struggles to focus on school, according to school administrators.
“One family we talked to today are dealing with serious domestic crises, a family divorce. Another grandmother is ill, so the mom is taking care of her mom and her two children are left to their own devices,” said Gemma Joseph-Lumpkin.
“We are finding these social and economic realities that families have to deal with just to survive.”
Youth and Community Engagement Chief Gemma Joseph-Lumpkin: Families are focused on surviving.
Joseph-Lumpkin heads the Youth, Family and Community Engagement department charged with tracking down each disengaged child and finding out how to help. This means frequent phone calls and house visits when necessary.
Her department refers families to area nonprofits specializing in each problem, she explained to the Board of Alders Education Committee on Wednesday evening.
“Where we can get them computers, get them training in how to use them, help them navigate the schools system — those we handle and we do very well,” Joseph-Lumpkin said.
Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez asked whether language barriers are a major factor among the disengaged students.
Superintendent Iline Tracey responded that the remaining 600 completely disengaged students are a mixed group of English learners, special needs students and other students. She said that English Language Learner Programs Director Pedro Mendia-Landa and Danny Diaz, the familiar voice in parents’ voicemails, are working hard with Joseph-Lumpkin to close those language barriers.
“We have newcomers. Because they were not there at the beginning of school, they don’t know how to use their device,” Tracey said. “We have homeless students. The need is great and there is more than one factor involved.”
The number of absent students has decreased from the glitches and confusion in the first days of school, to 2,500 students missing, to 1,500 students absent in the third week. The missing students have been disproportionately English learners and Special Education students.
Tracey said that she hopes to get remaining students back to class if schools reopen for a hybrid of in-person and remote learning on Nov. 9.
Always looking at the dark side for schools--- we forget that 19,000+ students are in class every day and doing their best, as are all their teachers.