CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tiffany Huger and her family have been juggling a new normal at home, just like many others have amid the coronavirus crisis.
"Chaotic is a nice way of putting it," Huger said.
The social worker says with two school kids, herself, and one computer, there's a daily battle over the bandwidth.
"When my youngest daughter has questions and needs help with the assignments, we need to make sure we get that done before it's time for my high-schooler to have to do her assignment, but also in time for me to be able to get my work stuff done," Huger said.
Huger, whose kids attend Sugar Creek Charter School in Charlotte, considers them lucky though because at least they have a device to use.
Keeping kids learning while they're stuck at home has proven to be pretty challenging for teachers and parents, alike, and that's even when you have all the tools and gadgets to do virtual schooling. Not everyone does though.
At Sugar Creek Charter School, many students already count on the school for the basics, so buying technology for virtual learning is a luxury many of the families don't have.
The latest National Center for Education statistics show, with an enrollment of 1,600 students, Sugar Creek had nearly 1,300 eligible for free or reduced lunch.
"We are a tight-knit community, K-12, and so they rely on us for resources for very many things," said Tawana Wiggins, the charter high school principal.
Wiggins says the school dispersed computers and tablets to as many families without them as it could, but it's still 350 short. She says buying those needed devices would cost $60,000 the school doesn't have.
"For a parent to look at us and say, 'You guys want us to do online instruction, but you don't have anything to do it with.' It's very disheartening to tell a parent who's looking for all the resources," Wiggins said.
The school has offered other options, like print-outs and pre-recorded lectures, but Wiggins says the engagement is not the same.
Wiggins says, at this point, the school welcomes any help or input from the community. It just wants to keep its students connected and not fall behind.
This story was inspired by a neighbor on Nextdoor. To contact Vanessa with a story idea, visit her profile here and send her a message.