(1) The general assembly finds that:
The COVID-19 pandemic has led many school districts and public schools during the2019-20 and 2020-21 school years to move between periods of online instruction, in-person instruction, and a hybrid of online and in-person instruction;
To learn online, a student must have access to adequate broadband service that allows for online instruction, including video conferencing, taking into account the access needs of other internet users within the student's household;
Students from low-income backgrounds, students experiencing homelessness, migrant students, students from rural Colorado, and students in foster care are less likely to have access to high-speed broadband service;
A report developed by the Colorado department of education and the Colorado education initiative and released in April 2020 found that almost sixty-six thousand public school students in Colorado lack any internet access;
Without adequate internet access, students are less likely to be able to participate inclass, more likely to experience significant learning loss, and more likely to fall behind their peers who have access to high-speed internet;
Education experts estimate that, while the average elementary and secondary studentis likely to lose seven months of learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the learning loss is significantly greater for students of color and low-income students: Hispanic students may fall behind by more than nine months, Black students by more than ten months, and low-income students by more than a year;
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of students, educators, and other staff, and telehealth services, combined with adequate broadband service, can help individuals access behavioral health services in their homes;
In addition to students, many educators and other staff lack adequate broadband service to provide online instruction;
Broadband service providers across the state have provided low- and no-cost optionsfor local education providers and families to help get students the ability to participate in online instruction;
Many local education providers are working collaboratively with broadband serviceproviders to develop innovative solutions to address internet access and capacity, particularly in rural communities; and
Additional resources are necessary to ensure that every Colorado student has accessto the high-speed broadband service necessary for online instruction.
(2) The general assembly finds, therefore, that it is critical to quickly provide resources for local education providers to use in giving students, educators, and other staff increased access to broadband service so that students may benefit from online instruction and successfully learn online, thereby preventing learning loss particularly for low-income and other academically at-risk students.
Source: L. 2020, 1st Ex. Sess.: Entire article added, (HB 20B-1001), ch. 9, p. 45, § 1, effective December 7.