United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says she's moving to put $4 billion dollars into the next COVID-19 relief package to make sure students have access to technology and broadband internet while schools remain closed during the outbreak.
The New York Democrat says the money should be invested to address the "homework gap" experienced by some 12 million students who don't have reliable internet access at home and have trouble keeping up with distance learning. This particularly affects students in rural as well as inner-city areas, as well as lower-income students and students of color.
Before the pandemic, roughly 70 percent of America's educators assigned school work that required internet access, but as schools closed for the pandemic, remote learning is now the rule for most students.