We had families who were now disconnected because they didn't have internet access or they

did not have a computer or if they were connected they were feeling that they were getting

minimal instruction and that's pretty much how the spring persisted.

When schools were forced to close their doors this spring, most were unprepared to immediately

move their classrooms online.

Many students lacked the technology and the resources to be successful at home and without

an end date some administrators, teachers and parents were left without any information

about how long school would continue virtually.

In this episode we talked to the head of the Detroit Public School System, Nikolai VT.

When the pandemic began roughly 90% of the more than 50,000 students in his district did

not have access to the internet or to technology that they needed.

And it's been a rollercoaster ride, a really of peaks and valleys and I think the work

is generally like that but they've been extreme.

Now a coalition of groups in the city are trying to make plans for every single student

to have the digital resources they need for a successful school year.

It's a huge undertaking and it isn't just Detroit.

Around 17% of all students in the United States have limited internet access and that percentage

grows among students of color and low income students.

Bridging that gap and providing equal access to tech will be a challenge for schools all

across the country in cities and rural areas alike but it is also the only way to make

this school year count for everyone.

I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent and this is coronavirus, fact versus fiction.

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