SARASOTA, Fla. — Sarasota County School students head back to school on Aug. 31.
The Sarasota Housing Authority is making sure that 200 families living in distressed public housing have the resources they need for students who will learn remotely.
The Housing Authority doesn’t just manage day-to-day housing for families. It also works behind the scenes to help families communicate with schools, so children don’t fall through the cracks.
It recently surveyed 200 families. In all, 65 responded, and the authority is working to connect with those not heard from.
Out of the 65, more than half say they do not have computers for remote learning, and 40 percent said they needed mobile hotspots.
Michelle Stears says the authority has also found discrepancies from the list of students who will remotely learn compared to the information the district provided. In some cases, families believe they selected remote learning, but are not listed because they didn’t go through the entire process required by the district.
On Monday, representatives from the housing authority were out in the community handing out backpacks and talking with families. They say the authority has numerous programs in place to make sure underserved children don’t slip through the gaps and are working with the schools to make sure kids who learn from home have the tools they need.
“If they don’t have a solid education under their belt, what are their opportunities going to be? And, we don’t want them to be the next generation of public housing residents or depending on federal housing subsidy,” said William Russell, president and CEO of the Sarasota Housing Authority.
When asked why the Housing Authority doesn’t provide free WiFi in the area similar to what apartment complexes provide residents, Russell said the team is doing that as they redevelop aging buildings. He also said the Housing Authority has applied for hotspots through some of the COVID grant money and hopes to receive the funding soon.
The district says out of the 36,090 students registered as of Aug. 14, 28 percent opted for remote learning. Another 440 are now enrolled in Sarasota Virtual.
“Families who commit to concurrent remote learning (Option 2) are also committing to providing all the tools and resources necessary for their child(ren) to be successful,” said a spokesperson for the district.
Sarasota Virtual students are not eligible to receive devices from the school. A spokesperson for the district says when they register for virtual school, they agree to provide all items needed.
She added that school administrators will work with families on device needs if they opted for remote learning because it’s “tied to the child’s districted/school choice selection.
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