David Hayward, Damon, TX

We are asking rural communities to share how COVID-19 is impacting them and how teachers and teacher-leaders are adapting in the face of nationwide school closures. Read below for a story from David Hayward of Damon, TX (Damon ISD). You can share yours here: http://buff.ly/3d7hWUe

"Damon is a 90%+ eco. dis. with a small community within our district in an area that is void of hard wire internet. At 98% eco. dis. in the smaller community, families cannot afford satellite internet. The hotspots provided by the school do not work in this community. Last week we began handing out meals at the bus stop. On day 3, we found out how many homes did not have parents in them, and the kids were going without food because kids had been told not to answer the door. We decided to provide delivery to the individual homes to provide meals to all the kids who need them so we asked parents to put a cooler in front of the house or on the porch, which also helps with distancing. We are serving 80 breakfasts and 80 lunches to the community for children under the age of 18 every day. Every teacher is responsible for producing packets, and the packets are left with the food. To prevent contamination coming back, we are allowing parents to take pictures of completed work and submit by email or text. We are a very small rural district, and I have been able to accomplish the meals and packets by utilizing my support staff. All students with electronic devices can connect with their teachers through google classroom."