After interviewing Sandra Currin regarding how school systems have ensured all students have equitable access to resources, I learned that the WJCC Public School System made great effort in doing so. Mrs. Currin stated, “Many families do indeed lack access to the internet due to economic reasons or because of rural locations that just simply do not get great Wi-Fi, however WJCC distributed hotspot devices to families in need so that their children can have internet access” (S. Currin, personal communication, February 13, 2020). Mrs. Currin’s point was that many areas that are located in James City County do not have high-speed internet access to remotely connect students to their virtual classroom, but by the school system delivering these hotspot devices to students, virtual learning seemed a little more realistic. Sandra Currin also mentioned that another router distribution is in the works for Williamsburg, “The city of Williamsburg is working on plans to give out free Wi-Fi routers to residents living in Highland Park, a very poor area located in Williamsburg, VA”(S. Currin, personal communication, February 13, 2020). Students of low-income backgrounds already have had some sort of disadvantage when schools were still in person. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those disadvantages have just gotten worse, however due to the efforts made by WJCC to distribute resources to families in need, children are receiving the resources necessary to succeed.

Sandra Currin then began talking about the efforts made specifically by teachers themselves. Mrs. Currin stated that, “Many teachers, myself included, put together packets of work for students to complete and look over at home. This included study guides, practice tests, and even books the children would enjoy reading. After putting them together, we would drive to student’s houses and leave them on their front porch”(S. Currin, personal communication, February 13, 2020). Sandra Currin’s point was that teachers already go above and beyond for their students, but when the idea of ensuring all students have the access to resources in order to succeed, especially during a pandemic, they will go even further in doing so. Mrs. Currin also said, “School librarians decided to keep the library open and allow students to check out books even from home because they knew for some families, access to books would be very difficult. We also would hand deliver these books to families” (S. Currin, personal communication, February 13, 2020). In making this comment, Mrs. Currin is saying that ALL educational professionals put in the extreme effort in making sure all students still had access to equitable resources even during a pandemic.

Sandra Currin made the point during our interview that equitable resources does not only pertain to technology and internet access, but it also includes having adults at home to help with virtual learning. She makes this point by stating, “Even with all of these accommodations, several students did not have adults at home that could help problem solve issues or assist the student, and many just gave up out of frustration” (S. Currin, personal communication, February 13, 2020). Mrs. Currin’s point is that having a reliable adult at home is a resource that not every child has-most parents still had to work throughout the pandemic and not every adult can help teach certain topics appropriately. Sandra Currin goes further into this topic by saying, “Many of our students were left home alone to do school as many parents must work and many of these students chose to turn off the video and microphone and did not participate in learning at all compared to those who had a parent right beside them the entire day” (S. Currin, personal communication, February 13, 2020). Basically, Mrs. Currin is saying that sometimes it is difficult to ensure all students are receiving equal resources at home. Not every child has a stay at home parent or an adult who can constantly overlook them to make sure they are participating in online learning.