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Board of Education Members- Roll Call

Raritan Township Flemington-Borough

• Tim Bart, President• Ed Morgan• Valerie Bart• Dr. Marianne Kenny• Laurie Markowski• Susan Mitcheltree• Christopher Walker

• Jessica Abbott, Vice President• Jeff Cain

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Our Mission:• Together, WE:• Foster social, emotional, and academic growth

in a safe and nurturing environment;• Respect values and traditions within our

families and schools;• Strive to respond to the needs of our diverse and

changing communities;• Develop the curiosity and creativity of critical

thinkers to become collaborative problem solvers who meet the challenges of a globally competitive society.

Reference: 2018-2023 Strategic Plan https://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/cms/lib/NJ01001104/Centricity/Domain/15/Flemington-Raritan%205-29-18%20final%20pres.pdf

Superintendent’s Report: CONNECTIVITY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Bridging the Digital Divide

Superintendent’s ReportCONNECTIVITY FACTS

Across the country, there are millions of students living in homes without internet access or suitable devices for getting online. This problem isn’t new, but the ramifications of it are being magnified now that students living in these homes have no connections to school, their teachers, or the outside world.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has connected the Superintendent’s energy with that of the STEM Learning Ecosystem Community of Practice to focus on the national issue of connectivity and has joined numerous national calls for immediate relief for students living in homes without internet or suitable devices for connecting.

There are 1.4 million pre-k-12 students in New Jersey, and since March 18, 2020, due to COVID-19, their schools have been ordered closed, and they are now required to work remotely, generally using online platforms like Google Classroom and Zoom.

Superintendent’s ReportCONNECTIVITY FACTS

Increasing internet traffic from the students, parents, teachers, and others who are working remotely is creating problematic and frustrating connectivity issues. This problem disproportionately affects school districts’ neediest students; in New Jersey, this number is 400,000, who fall in the free and reduced lunch category.

In general, students who have not had access to the internet at this point in the remote learning process have not been taking part in their education for the last three weeks. In addition, any solution to this problem will take up to several weeks to implement. Given the timing, these students are gravely deprived of their education.

Locally, in Flemington Raritan Regional School District students without Internet stay connected to their classroom teachers through telephone calls and materials distributed to families through multiple avenues. Other students, statewide, continue to be caught in the great digital divide.

Superintendent’s ReportCONNECTIVITY FACTS

Overall New Jersey Internet Landscape

In New Jersey, an estimated 90% of households have a computer or smartphone, and 84% have a broadband internet subscription, according to 2018 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. (1)

But that can vary widely among municipalities, age groups, and income ranges; among households age 64 and under, the rate with internet access was 92%. (2)

Overall, people who are elderly or poor or lack a high school diploma were least likely to have a computer or online access. (3)

Superintendent’s ReportCONNECTIVITY FACTS

National Efforts to Combat Problem

In a tremendous step forward in California, Verizon has agreed to provide internet access to nearly 100,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District in response to the remote learning requirement. (4) Six-hundred fifty (650) broadband providers have signed on to the “Keep Americans Connected Pledge,” agreeing for the next 60 days 1) not to terminate services because of their inability to pay bills due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic; 2) waive any late fees that customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic; and, 3) open its Wi-Fi hotspots to any American who needs them. (5)

Superintendent’s ReportCONNECTIVITY FACTS

Local Efforts to Combat Problem In Camden, internet access was made available to district students via Comcast Internet Essentials and free Xfinity hotspots. While this is a potential solution, the reporting on these hotspots is that they are oversaturated, so the actual utility is low, and the application process for the Internet Essentials is daunting, particularly because any applicant doing so would likely be doing so on a smartphone.

Conference calls with local and state leaders and executive leadership at Comcast & Verizon continues to take lace to brainstorm how we could get to a solution for New Jersey students as soon as possible. STEM colleagues from the national initiative are joining the calls to promote and discuss any partnerships we can create.

Contact with Congressman Malinowski, Senator Booker, Senator Menendez, and President Trump to encourage them to support emergency funding and regulatory flexibility for the E-rate program to serve students and educators at home.

Superintendent’s ReportCONNECTIVITY FACTS

Online learning offers students a chance to work with their teachers and remain connected to their school communities, but nationwide far too many homes lack access to the high-speed broadband connections students, and teachers need.

Extended school closures will negatively impact learning across all communities. Still, students that lack broadband access - disproportionately rural and low-income learners - will be especially hard hit by this historic emergency.

Superintendent’s ReportCONNECTIVITY FACTS

Local Efforts to Combat Problem

Phone calls and emails with Northeast business leaders and connections nationally with Google leaders.

However, these conversations and possibly long-term solutions are not the solution for the connectivity and the digital divide that our students are caught in today.

I will continue to rally the forces, build connections to support students and focus on equity in learning, now and after the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Superintendent’s ReportCONNECTIVITY Resources

1https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2020/03/15/coronavirus-online-learning-deepenonline-learnin/5026164002/ 2https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2020/03/15/coronavirus-online-learning-deepenonline-learnin/5026164002/ 3https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/new-jersey/2020/03/15/coronavirus-online-learning-deepenonline-learnin/5026164002/ 4https://www.engadget.com/2020-03-25-verizon-free-internet-lausd-students.html 5 https://www.fcc.gov/keep-americans-connected

Superintendent’s Report: Remote Learning & Connectivity