Students falling behind as wait for technology continues in HISD

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — It’s a small start. Just five Chromebooks delivered to help children whose families fight homelessness or who are in foster care. Our first stop was to meet Carla Alvarez, a mother of four who lost her job during the COVID-19 pandemic and was on the verge of eviction.

“Helpless,” said Alvarez of her situation. “There’s no other word because there is absolutely nothing I can do. I can’t afford technology right now. I can barely afford to keep my roof over my head.”

She was on waiting lists for her elementary-age children to receive technology. They are behind, for the most part not in class since March. She’s contacted her children’s school once a week. They told her to keep calling.

“Not knowing what’s going to happen or when it’s going to come in is not a good feeling, because they are missing out big time,” Alvarez said.

Something as simple as two Chromebooks can be life changing. She sent us a photograph of her two children, Aiden and Meniah Mejia, holding their new Chromebooks. They beamed with huge grins, and Carla Alvarez is not alone.

There are countless families struggling to make ends meet, let alone buy computers or tablets. In many cases, schools don’t have the resources to give tech to everyone.

The need is almost overwhelming and part of a generation of students is falling behind or falling out of school all together, said Ilka Rosado with HISD’s Homeless Education Office.

“There is such a high need, first of all,” Rosado told . “We don’t have any substantial data yet, any figures of the students, but we know that the need is great.”

We do know that as of last year there were some 7,500 homeless students in HISD and more than 450 foster children. One of those children now has a Chromebook. We gave one to a case worker who is helping a foster child who is months behind academically.

“Even if it’s not your child and it’s not your district,” Rosado said, “we should all be concerned if a child isn’t learning.”

And then two Chromebooks went to a family of three living in a hotel for nine months.

“I feel really good to have a new computer. I never had one before,” the older child told us. They didn’t want to share their identities for safety reasons, but now two children, one of whom is a student with special needs, can go to class.

“It’s been tough to go to class,” their mother said. “With the internet that Houston ISD gave us, it’s not working. So we’ve been using the internet here sometimes and it glitches sometimes or it just doesn’t work. The iPads they gave us the first time, they didn’t work.”

Five Chromebooks is a start. But it is a single plank in the chasm that is the digital divide. To expand that bridge, ABC13 is partnering with DePelchin Children’s Center. They have seen the problem first hand in countless families they counsel, coach and support through their parent-centered services.

“Some children in our program are having to use their parent’s cell phone to do school each day. They don’t have laptops or tablets,” said Megan Green with DePelchin. “They’re not able to connect with their peers and their teacher, and there is really a divide there because they are falling behind academically.”

And this is where you come in. With your help we are raising funds to donate devices to vetted families in need.

We know these are challenging times for everyone, everywhere. But Houston steps up when others have need. We always have and with your help, we always will.