KCPS talks digital dividee

The KCPS technology director said the digital divide is more evident since the pandemic.

IN-PERSON LEARNINGFULL-TIME.THE COVID-19PANDEMIC IS SHEDDINGLIGHT ON THE DIGITALDIVIDE IN KANSAS CITY.41 ACTION NEWS ANCHORRAE DANIEL IS IN THENEWSROOM TO EXPLAINWHY THIS IS ISN'T A NEWPROBLEM FOR THE CITY.THIS WAS THE BIGCHALLENGE WHEN THEPANDEMIC HIT -- GETTINGACCESS TO HIGH SPEEDINTERNET, AND PROVIDINGENOUGH DEVICES FORSTUDENTS WHO COULDN'TAFFORD THESE ITEMSNOW NEEDED FORSCHOOL.WE CAUGHT UP WITH THEKANSAS CITY PUBLICSCHOOLS TECHNOLOGYDIRECTOR, JOE PHILLIPSABOUT THIS ISSUE.HE SAYS THIS DIGITALDIVIDE ISSUE ISN'TSOMETHING THATHAPPENED WHEN THEPANDEMIC HIT, BUT ANONGOING ISSUE SINCE THEEARLY 2000S WHEN MOREAND MORE TECHNOLOGYWAS INTRODUCED IN THECLASSROOMS.HE SAYS WHAT COVID DIDWAS REALLY HIGHLIGHTDIFFERENCES IN THESUBURBAN VERSUS RURALAND URBAN AREAS....MANYFAMILIES IN THE DISTRICTDIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TOHIGH SPEED INTERNET --AND SOME INTERNETPROVIDERS NOT BUILDINGINFRASTRUCTURE INCERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODSJoe Phillips, KCPS TechnologyDirector, :16it's kind of this, you know,exponential issue in our urbanarea here in Kansas City,where, you know, we don'treally have a lot of affordableoptions for internet and insome cases in our real digitaldeserts, there's no providersreally providing internet there.GOING INTO THIS SCHOOLYEAR, EACH STUDENTWITHIN KCPS WILL HAVE ADEVICE AVAILABLE TOTHEM FOR CLASSES.TAYLOR?RAE IF PEOPLE WANT TOLEARN MORE ABOUTDIGITAL INCLUSION --WHERE CAN THEY FINDTHOSE RESOURCES?CLEARLY THIS ISN'T JUSTAN ISSUE WITHIN THEKCPS DISTRICT AND ITSFAMILIES -- HERE IN K-C,THEY HAVE THE KANSASCITY COALITION FORDIGITAL INCLUSION -- IT'S AGROUP OF NONPROFITS,BUSINESSS ANDGOVERNMENT ENTITIESFOCUSING ON PROVIDINGINTERNET ACCESS ANDDIGITAL READINESS IN THEGREATER KANSAS CITYAREA....IN AN EFFORT TOCLOSE THAT DIGITALDIVIDE FOR PEOPLE OF ALLAGES.

IN THE NEWSROOM,RAE DANIEL, 41 ACTIONNEWS TOD