"Haydee Berdejo, 18, does not have high-speed Internet in Baltimore & can get online only w/ a smartphone. When her magnet high school, Baltimore City College, shut down in mid-March, she hunched over the phone, where she had difficulty hearing teachers." https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/a-national-crisis-as-coronavirus-forces-many-schools-online-this-fall-millions-of-disconnected-students-are-being-left-behind/2020/08/16/458b04e6-d7f8-11ea-9c3b-dfc394c03988_story.html

"Berdejo, who is from Mexico and still learning English, said the setup made bridging the language gap even more difficult. At times, the screen was fuzzy. And though her classes are mostly taught in English, with the schools closed, she no longer has access to a translator."

"In Baltimore, the school system helped set up 7,000 families with a program that provides low-cost Internet service. The first two months were free. But last month, the school system realized that if it didn’t pay the $650K bill, many of those families would lose service..."

"...I was not going to stand by and let 14,000 students not be able to log on because of a bill we knew needed to be paid,” said Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises. “It’s yet one more thing that, in serving children and families, schools are being asked to do.”