skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Digital Divide Means KY Kids Risk Falling Behind in School

play audio
Play

Tuesday, November 24, 2020   

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- More than 1 in 3 students of color in the Commonwealth, and 30% of all students, lacked adequate technology at home before the pandemic, putting them at higher risk of falling behind in school, according to a new KIDS COUNT County Data Book.

Alicia Sells, director of innovation and communication at the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, works with high school students in five counties. She said many households lack the bandwidth for streaming, or internet service is limited, with entire households relying on a single smartphone.

She said wireless hotspots such as MiFi cards have been one practical solution, and she wishes they had the resources for more.

"I'd put one of those MiFi cards in the hands of every student in Kentucky, to enable them to get past this digital access problem that we have, with them not having the ability to stream, to download homework, to watch teachers who are leaving video lessons for them," Sells said. "I think that would be a huge benefit to kids who are struggling."

Sells said she hopes state policymakers will consult with their local school districts on immediate solutions to ease the digital divide.

Other recommendations include allowing cable companies to subsidize internet for low-income families, or shift funding that typically goes to schools and libraries' high-speed access to individual households. To view the County Data Book, visit kyyouth.org.

Dr. Kish Cumi Price, director of education policy and programming at the Louisville Urban League, said high-speed internet is simply unaffordable for many families, and the economic downturn means more households will miss utility payments, which also impacts kids' ability to access learning at home.

She said the situation is dire for those who can't keep up with schoolwork.

"Many of us who are trying to assist are a level removed from that reality, because we're not having to pull up in McDonalds' parking lots and try to have our kids connect," Cumins Price said. "I want people to understand that this is a serious need."

While the Data Book finds Kentucky's child poverty rates decreased before the pandemic in 107 of the 120 counties, Patricia Tennen, chief operating officer at Kentucky Youth Advocates, said COVID-19 will be a major setback.

"There's no denying that this experience is going to be far-reaching. Some kids could be years behind," Tennen said. "And so, I think at this point, we need to be thinking about how can we serve those kids now."

According to the Data Book, about two-thirds of Kentucky's Latinx households with children report losing employment income since the pandemic began. And, several months into the pandemic, fewer than half the state's Black households with children reported being employed in the past week.

Disclosure: Kentucky Youth Advocates/KIDS COUNT contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Children's Issues, Youth Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021