The online education started around March this year during the pandemic lockdown and has been going on since then. Many high schoolers fun it difficult to learn at home, virtually, by themselves, surrounded by distractions.

“Sequoia Union High School District in Redwood City this week reported that the percentage of students with more than one failing grade this fall jumped to 29% from 19.7% in 2019, a nearly 50% increase. Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Contra Costa County reported a similar rise in high school students failing more than one grade — 30.66% from just over 19% the previous two academic years.” Says John Woolfolk from Bay Area News Group.

Regis Jesuit High School Principal Tricco, to extend the online education until December. With skyrocketing COVID cases in Denver, this is not going away any time soon. According to Tri Country Health Department the number of COVID cases in Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas Counties is sitting at 70,262. The number of deaths from COVID is 885.

School is a place that takes care of kids’ basic daily needs while parents work. When online, parents are unable to work effectively because they have to help and care for their children.

“They rely on schools for food and health services while their parents are at work.” Says Jessica Calarco, Assistant professor of Sociology, Indiana University.

Parents can’t always be there for their kids and give them their needs. Schools are there for this to be taken care of while the parents are working. It is also very difficult to stay focused and productive while at home in front of a screen for hours.

“Teenagers are so wrapped up in their phones and their social media that it is hard for them to often stay focused on one thing for more than 8 second, without having the urge to constantly keep up on their social media. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, at the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the average attention span of a human being has dropped from 12 second in 2000 to 8 seconds in 2013.” Says Mia Rose Del Nunzio from Penn State.

Although teachers and parents expect their child to be productive all day online, todays teenagers struggle with short attention spans which makes it difficult to stay productive on a computer all day.

“Low-income families might also have trouble keeping their children learning because they can’t afford the necessary technology.” Says Jessica Calarco.

To participate in online school you need a digital device so that you can interact and talk with your teachers and fellow classmates. Some families just cannot afford to purchase these devices for heir kids which puts them at a disadvantage.

“As school leaders decide how to proceed, I encourage them to be mindful of the unequal burden closures will place on students and their families.” Claraco says.