This week, we are joined by Eric Gordon, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District for the last 9 years. He is responsible for the leadership and daily management of Cleveland’s 39,000-student school district.
Being a student has never been easy, and the COVID-19 global pandemic has only exacerbated existing struggles in education, particularly from reliable internet access.
Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, Cleveland, Ohio has been struggling with connecting its citizens to reliable, high speed internet. Although in 2019 Cleveland was ranked 4th worst connected city in the Unites States, in 2020 it has dropped to become THE worst connected city in the United States. Cleveland has a long way to go in properly serving its citizens, and Eric Gordon is fighting to change that.
Eric Gordon has been a strong advocate to have reliable access to high speed internet seen as a public utility. In today’s society, students are required get online to go to public schools, we apply for jobs through the internet, see doctors through web portals and so much more. It is time for our federal government to recognize this and bring connectivity to each citizen.
As an immediate response to the lack of connectivity in Cleveland, COVID-19, and student needs, Eric Gordon has made immediate actions to get kids connected, supply them with devices, and give them the tools they need to attend classes online and connect with teachers.
To build long term connectivity to Cleveland’s students and their families, Eric Gordon built strong relationships with DigitalC to provide low cost internet plans to families, and provide financial credits and support to fully pay the DigitalC internet bills. This system sets families up with internet access through an organization that specializes in connectivity, providing cultural competent services, and a strong understanding of family needs. The financial subsidy enables families to pay for the services, and over time, families have shown to remove themselves off the subsidy when they reach greater financial stability.
If you would like to engage in ongoing #InternetForALL actions, please reach out to your local elected and congress persons
To find who your Senator and Assembly Members are, click here.
If you would like to add your voice, share and sign this petition: https://www.change.org/InternetForAllKids
Highlights
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#InternetForAll #DigitalInclusion #DigitalDivide #AllStudentsNeedInternet
Don’t miss the next episode of “Access Denied” on our Facebook Live next Friday, September 25th, at 9AM Pacific Time/12 noon Eastern Standard Time.