Disruptions to schooling fall hardest on vulnerable students

By ANNIE MA
Associated Press

Complications wrought by the pandemic persist in schools and often fall hardest on those least able to weather them. Those include families without transportation, people with limited income or other financial hardship, people who don’t speak English, and children with special needs. Coronavirus outbreaks in schools and individual quarantine orders when students get exposed to the virus make it a gamble on whether they can attend classes in person on any given day. Many families don’t know where to turn for information or sometimes can’t be reached. Experts say districts need to consider these disproportionate burdens as they seek solutions.