By Riverside County Office of Education
Contributed
While students and parents anxiously await the reopening of public schools in Riverside County, educators are adapting and modifying plans for what school will look like in the “new normal” — including a likelihood that some elements of remote learning will still be necessary.
However, without additional support, many students will have the virtual doors to school closed on them without regular, reliable access to a computer or the internet.
The Riverside County Office of Education Foundation (RCOEF) is aiming to bridge that digital divide with the launch of “All For One,” a giving campaign centered on raising funds to provide computers, tablets and/or mobile hotspot devices to students and families to ensure consistent access to remote learning.
Challenges preventing universal access to remote learning include:
• Families with multiple students sharing one computer to access online learning resources.
• Geographic diversity of Riverside County where families live outside of areas with traditional internet services.
“Our hope is that organizations and community leaders will consider ways they can help bridge the divide between students and their access to reaching their dreams through education,” said RCOEF Director Ed Lewis. “RCOEF has primarily been focused on raising funds for scholarships and implementing programs that complement core RCOE services and the ‘All For One’ campaign furthers that focus on this immediate need faced by students and families in our school districts.”
More information on supporting the “All For One” campaign is available from the RCOE Foundation at http://www.rcoe.us/foundation/all-for-one.
Tax-deductible donations can be made on the RCOEF “All For One” GoFundMe page at charity.gofundme.com/all-for-one-rcoef or by sending a check to Riverside County Office of Education Foundation, Attention: Ed Lewis, Foundation Director, P.O. Box 868, Riverside, CA 92502-0868.
