It’s called Operation Connection - and it’s a district-wide initiative in Duncanville to reconnect with students struggling during virtual learning.
On Saturday teams of volunteers - even the superintendent, knocked on doors.
They met parents and worked to re-establish a connection some students lost during COVID-19.
“It could be that they lack technology, or there are multiple siblings in the household, and they are sharing one device trying to get work done across several different grade levels. Or it can be the lack of a consistent connection,” said Duncanville ISD Superintendent Marc Smith.
Teams left packets on doors - filled with information and resources.
Smith said there are 100 students in the district learning virtually - not turning in assignments, and not involved in classes.
“What we learn today, we hope to be able to provide them the support they need to instantly get them back into school,” said Smith.
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He said 55% of students are virtual learners, and a little over 44% are back in class, learning in person.
Some of the volunteers who hit neighborhoods on Saturday are teachers, like Claudia Ruiz.
“We’re having a hard time reaching out and getting them involved virtually, so when I saw that this was going on with the district, I was excited,” said Ruiz.
She’s hoping to re-establish a classroom connection and reach every student, no matter where they learn.
The superintendent tells NBC 5 they’ll collect data from Saturday’s event, and follow up.
The next step is to reconnect with the students - if they need equipment like a laptop - to get them whatever support they need so they can better learn and stay engaged as they learn virtually.
