Support for Arkansas week provided by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

The Arkansas times and Kuer FM 89.

Hello again everyone.

Thanks for joining us for another special cyber edition of Arkansas week for several weeks now.

Arkansas has been a homeschooling state and it will remain so for at least the balance of this domestic.

A coronavirus closure of our public schools has meant that hundreds of thousands of Arkansas pupils in grades pre K through Senior High have been compelled to continue with their education at home using resources provided by the Arkansas Department of Education and this network.

Arkansas PBS.

The results thus far say the experts that have been mixed will talk with two of those experts about that in just a moment.

Little bit later in the broadcast, but first the struggles of small business and all governments in Arkansas to stay alive amid the pandemic.

A familiar name.

The most arkansans one of us is helping launch a nonprofit program to help James Lee Witt one praise as president Clinton's director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

He's now a consultant and lobbyist, and he joins us remotely now.

Mr, with thanks very much for coming in making yourself available, tell us about this program exactly.

How's it gonna work and or whom is it intended to work?

Well, thanks to have for having the same Stephen.

A good to see you again.

It's a program that started with John Harsh.

It's called 202 and this is a website if people want to go to the website.

202works.com/kovid dash 19 dash help and the purpose of this is there's.

Several Co chairs on this website and what are our goal is to be able to help a small businesses and cities and counties.

An entrepreneurs that are having problems of being able to reopen been able to access different funds that they might need to re open for them and their employees.

An we just want to help and we want to help the small businesses communities to get back on their feet economically and.

And there's a list of Co chairs on the website that I think you'll be impressed with.

That is offering a pro bono help to help these communities businesses.

You know.

When I was director of FEMA we responded to 340 presidential disasters in eight years.

And what was really tough was after the major disasters.

With SBA and female we did a study that showed 40% of small businesses that were affected by a natural disaster never reopened and I think we're going to see a higher percentage of small businesses not written.

Not reopen after this virus pandemic, and that's what we're concerned about.

And that's why we're doing this.

OK, so basically you would be one help me here on a navigational aid at navigational assistance.

In terms of small business, city, County governments in fighting the bureaucracy.

Exactly it would, and the experts.

That's part of this program varies from legal as well as economic, and we can give them free advice and how to moon maneuver all of the different programs that they will need to get started back.

Tell us who is eligible for this assistance now.

But any any small business or community that is having problems and are concerned about.

Keeping their business open or their communities functioning, even hospitals.

Be helpful there.

We've been doing a lot of we started out with you AMS here in Little Rock helping them.

They call us so we getting PP East to for their hospital to protect the nurses and the doctors and the patients.

And it just grew from there and I got a call from New York at the daycare center that was.

They were opened, taking care of the doctors and nurses and firefighters and police officers kids while they were on the job and they needed 300 laser thermometers.

And so, uh?

In Tysons called in needed laser thermometer.

So I put my personal money up $130,000 to get these laser thermometers over here so that we could help him in.

We did finally get all of 'em in yesterday.

Well, what is there gonna be a fee a charge now?

To small businesses governments, a consulting fee or how's it going to work?

No, it's all pro bono.

We just want to help.

What do we what do they need to do?

Mr would go to the website, take a look at the website and they'll see how they can communicate with us.

It can either be by phone or email or whichever works best.

You were in one of the toughest positions and in the the federal government during your time in, in governments or at the national level.

I mean in Washington, how would you compare this coronavirus epidemic pandemic to say Katrina or to other disasters that you were were apart of addressing?

You know it's it's a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina.

Yeah, we help them for 10 years down there on that recovery, but a natural disaster, you know you can see what caused it.

You know what you can do afterwards to rebuild?

This is different.

You can't see this.

And and the amount of lives lost today in our country is staggering.

And we just have to do better.

And, you know, it was interesting when.

When the bombing of Murray building in Oklahoma City that we responded to, uh.

It was unbelievable at that time in our in our country that some individual would do that.

And so the grief was much harder because some individual did it.

But if it's a tornado or hurricane or flood, you know you knew the elements.

You knew what was happening.

But and this is kind of like.

Uh, this virus is is something that you can't get ahold of.

You can't see it.

You can't grasp it, and there's just an awful lot of grief from it and we need to make sure our country is safer and make sure that we can help these communities recover as much as possible.

Not I am compelled to ask.

We've had complaints from all of us.

Have heard from many governors of both parties.

Many mayors of both parties, uh, complain about the interplay of state and federal governments during during this crisis.

Could I have your assessment of it?

Well, you know I if I had been been there.

Uh, I would advise the president to to put in use DOD an core engineers and FEMA and put in a supply chain that would had advantage to end ability to bring all of the things in to help support the states.

Local governments, test kits, mask, gloves, gowns, everything.

I'd had national supply chain.

Where that ever state would not be competing against each other or hospitals wouldn't be competing against the state to purchase this equipment in this, and in these tests, and if that one supply chain had been there then I think we cause you've got the federal government bidding against states for these supplies, and you know, that's just not right.

And so I think that now they have put the supply chain management now under DOD, and I think that's a good move.

Department of Defense.

James Lee Witt.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your time at all success to you.

Thank you Steve.

Thanks for happiness.

Be right back.

And we're back now, and the subject is public education.

Teen has given an entirely new meaning to the term private schooling, homeschooling.

Almost 1/2 million Arkansas youngsters who were in public classrooms, pre K through 12 are now being home schooled and when it was announced several weeks ago by the governor that there would be no more on site learning in public classrooms anyway for the balance of this semester.

Mr Hutchinson and state Education Secretary Johnny key acknowledge that this was not necessarily the best scenario, but the best that could be managed.

Since that time, the State Department of Education and this network, PBS, Arkansas have been providing materials, an instructional programming through the day.

Indeed, via the Internet at all hours to assist parents and other caregivers in continuing the education of their children, particularly in the earliest grades.

So we wanted to check in and see how that's working.

Joining us.

Doctor Richard Abernathy is the executive director of the Arkansas Association.

Of school administrators and Stacy Smith returned, she's assistant commissioner of state Education Department or learning services, not Robert.

I think let's begin with you.

You been.

You're in constant contact with superintendence across the State House.

This situation developing.

How's it evolving?

How's it working?

But I tell you, when the governor first announced that it was kind of panic mode for schools and parents as well all across the state.

In Word instructions started back in in March or right after spring break with online learning to where we are now is dramatically different.

We had schools out there that did not have any substantial plans in place and we had other schools that had or really ready to mark move forward with this, but it's been quite a bit of adjustment for administrators for teachers, for students, for parents, and and then we we have grown a lot through this ordeal and.

And hopefully will it will not be back in the situation, but same time I think will be better off with online instruction moving forward as well.

Was secretary key indeed the governor as well?

Doctor Abernathy indicated acknowledge very candidly that some districts, some students are gonna fall through the cracks as that.

Men, your experience.

Are you saying yes or unfortunately we have?

We have seen students that in in schools that were prepared they they really didn't miss a beat because summer taking online courses anyway or some type of blended approach of taking online courses and so they were just able to pick up and just keep moving forward.

We have other schools out there that want schools dismissed.

Students do not have access to Internet.

They did not have access to devices.

Schools are trying to deliver and still are trying to deliver.

Paper copies to those grants where they would pick up either on site or at school, or having delivered home.

But quite honestly we have some kids that had not received by any educational services in schools closed.

I either pork or variety of reasons.

Uh, in other schools, uh, other kids have like said they not missed a beat and we have a wide range in between, but we certainly have found the winners and losers when it comes to access to broadband as well as.

Uh, devices at home.

Stacy Smith any of this surprising to you?

No, I mean what we're saying the same thing.

We're seeing schools that had a much better plan in the beginning, and we're already using technology in a way to deliver instruction daily and.

High schools have.

I've been able to.

Schools that did not have any type of platform set up, or we're not using digital technology.

They struggled a little bit and they've had some learning that had a learning curve, and we've seen that.

No, I don't know that we can even point to one group of students that were missing.

Yeah, I was talking to an assistant Superintendent this last week and he said, you know, you would think it's you know a particular group or or kids who don't have access and he said but we can look at our entire student body population.

An kids who have all the benefits and an accessories and had the Internet at home.

Some of them are not engaged and then we can look over here on this other end and see kids that we think they might not be engaged but they are fully engaged.

And so there's not just one typical kid that's being messed up, or typical kid that's fully engaged.

I think it really depends a lot on what's going on in individual homes right now.

English situated, I will say that our schools for superintendents in our teachers really have stepped up an it's about access and how do students access the education?

The general education that's being delivered and they have gotten creative and, you know, we talked about the paper packets.

We've talked about, the PBS programming we've talked about, digital manners, and venues that are out there right now.

So people are getting innovative in their figuring out.

How do we reach those kids who have disengaged?

And how do we pull him back in.

What I'm hearing from both of you, a doctor Abernathy, Stacy Smith.

Is there two principle factors though?

One is broadband access and the other is parental involvement.

Or am I correct in?

Yes, you're on target.

You Aaron Engagement right now is key.

It is absolutely key an.

To be able to pull in an really listen to parents and listen to their their what's going on charge district to do surveys to kind of check the pulse of what's going on in their communities and what individual families need to be able to support.

At the individual parents become the teacher.

The school should still be providing some type of Education, and teachers are still working all across the state and they're working many, many hours.

I know I think some people think oh, teachers are you.

Unplug kids aren't at school when that is simply just not true.

Parents are struggling.

They need to reach out to their school and ask for assistance.

Everything.

And I, I agree completely.

It is never more evident than now that parents are in fact the child's number one teacher and those parents who are not engaged.

Um, that's that's about the educational services their their child is getting.

And Stacy mentioned about, you know it's not just one segment of kids.

You know.

If I didn't have access to the Internet and broadband then then I don't get, I don't.

I don't receive any education, and that's not necessarily true.

Those parents are making sure that they're getting the paper package.

They're following up with the lessons or turning their work in.

So it really comes down to, uh, the parents and making sure that their child is engaged.

I've had superintendents and administrators and principals tell me that you know, they are in fact reaching out to those kids that they have not heard from other driving out to their houses to see if there's any issues or checking up on their their actual welfare of the kids as well, but getting parents to make sure their children are engaged and educational process has been kind of overwhelming task.

In many cases they digital.

Environment it digital world.

We're living in an yet here's a part of the problem.

It would appear, and we have a map.

I think that viewers might find instructive in terms of broadband Internet access in Arkansas, we aren't where anybody really wants us to be.

There are wide sections of the state that have limited access or absolutely none, and that makes everything that Arkansas PBS is trying to do in terms of.

Of augmenting a printed instruction materials from the state education warmer or local school district next is extremely difficult.

That adds to the burden that households appearance are are encountering.

You're absolutely right and you may remember a conversation several years ago that we've had with the providers in schools and in the state trying to make sure their schools had adequate broadband and we really ran up against a brick wall.

But then governor Hutchinson came in and it developed the committee and was actually able to expand broadband services to our school districts in her school buildings.

Let's say it made that a reality and that's really improved.

The capacity at our school buildings.

But now with this we're seeing it needs to be beyond the school buildings.

We need to get broadband services out to households out to communities where they can access it.

So I think schools are are adequately done.

I know schools since this is started.

They'd expanding their Wi-Fi services to make sure their parking lots will be hot spots of their particular communities.

And that has helped.

But we still need to get the the the broadband services out to individual households.

Stacy Smith Yeah, I would agree with Doctor Abernathy said.

I mean, I feel like we had the schools covered right now and we have seen schools taking on that community.

Um effort to be able to do the parking lot pieces and community churches and things like that really coming together to say Hey we don't have adequate services throughout our entire community, but we have pinpointed some locations in our community in which access is available.

But it's again, it's a bigger discussion, involves lots of other parties when you're talking about that as a state.

But as far as our schools go, an being able to deliver some type.

Distraction digitally?

Uhm, it's not perfect and again it goes back to that conversation of what does asynchronous instruction look like versus synchronous.

If we can pre record and provide instruction that way where kids can maybe come into the parking lot and download information.

Alot of our schools have gone to one to one devices and they're providing those for students.

But it takes some outside the box thinking an some innovators to get this done.

Assuming that classes resume, or that instruction will resume in August, what are we likely to see Stacy Smith?

Can we assess how much, how long will it take us to assess what has been Los to into this heart?

Yeah, I mean that's part of that formative assessment piece that is so important for teachers tools to be able to know exactly what it is they want students to know and be able to quickly determine whether or not they know it and be open.

Yeah, So what is most important for schools right now is for them to really drill down on.

What are the most important things that kids need to know.

Successful beginning in here and then assessing for that and then quickly learning?

How do you fill that gap?

There will be some loss, but our staff and our teachers are highly trained.

But rather than.

I I agree with that as well.

We know for a fact that we have some schools and some students that have lost a lot of instruction last several weeks and will continue and they're gonna be behind.

There's no doubt about it.

You know, with the cares funding that's gonna be for be able to provide some remediation after school programs, maybe some late summer school programs.

So administrators right now or working to figure out exactly what does that look like?

And let's just assume that we're going to come back with kids back in a traditional classroom.

Come in and we can have face to face instruction and the one thing that we are encouraging is do not lose what we have learned with digital learning and maybe work that in their their school year somewhere because this may come back again.

And if it does we don't wanna lose what we've already gained I but we know we have gaps that we need to fill.

I would.

There's definitely going to have to be served.

Mediation for students and at the first of the year try to get them caught up.

But we have in fact Lawston last instruction time for many of our students.

Well, here comes a medical question because doctor found she the legendary doctor found she brought it up himself just the other day.

There is no way to avoid an autumn recurrence or a late year recurrence of this virus or a similar one or worst case scenario, perhaps two different strains of virus.

The implications on that for that Doctor Abernathy are just staggering it would seem.

It it really is, and you know, we've been tucked administrator, but you need to plan for multiple scenarios.

Uh one scenario is that we come back in fall.

We hit hit the traditional school as we've always had it.

We're going to have football will have volleyball.

We're gonna have all those activities going with it.

That would be the best case scenario.

You start backing that up alright.

We maintain social distance thing in the fall.

What does that look like?

What do spreading your desk out in the classrooms look like?

What do feeding kids in the classroom look like versus the cafeteria.

How you gonna transport kids if social distance thing is still a part of that and then the last cases, how do we continue instructional a digital instruction if we don't come back to school then in what are we gonna do?

Those kids that don't have access to broadband in there they and their parents are not engaged in instruction right now.

How do we reach those kids?

So they're looking at all kinds of scenarios right now?

Of course, right now, no one knows what what the file will look like, but I do think when you consider the national experts that we can expect some type of resurgence.

Uh, hopefully not as long, but, uh, that that it was very likely, uh, this fall or or this winter.

Stacy Smith, any advice for those parents who truly want to do the best for their kids?

But it's the end of the day, maybe 1, maybe 2 parents are working.

They come home and they are exhausted and there is the burden of school work and there just emotionally overwhelmed by at all how any words of wisdom.

Ann Well, one be apparent first.

Take care of Health and safety and emotional status of your family and your kids and yourself.

You know.

Do anybody any good?

Um, if you're burnt out, read, read, read in and out of what to do, read if you're struggling with us particular lesson or being able to assist and not sure of the content, please do not feel like you have to do that on your own.

Reach out to your local school, reach out and tell them You need help and that you just can't do that.

And they're wanting to work with you.

I think everybody as this has gone on in the time is going on.

They recognize my stay.

Everyone's in different places at every home.

From place.

Flexibility has been given so parents be parents first.

All right, doctor Abernathy will give you the last word.

No, I agree with that.

You know parents, they're stressed and you look at their some of their their job placement.

They've been displaced of the unemployed, but their lives have changed dramatically.

That stress translates down to kids as well, and then you add on my parents trying to teach kids lessons at home that they're not accustomed but teaching.

I've had tried several parents tell me that they didn't really realize what all their kids were doing in school, and so they've had an eye opening with that as well.

But my guess my last parting shot would be.

Yeah, Well you realized I hope we realized in the nation and as a state that that broadband is no longer.

Ann Where we can't have it is it is a a utility and should be considered a utility just like electricity and we have to make our broadband available for more citizens than what we have now.

I don't know what that looks like.

I know there's some infrastructure funding coming at the federal level, but we need to spend it wisely and we need to make broadband available to as many Arkansas citizens as possible.

And with that were simply out of time.

Doctor Abernathy Stacy Smith.

As always, we thanks for you.

Thank you for your involvement, your participation, your help.

And to our audience, thank you for tuning in for another remote edition of Arkansas week and we will see you next week.

Support for Arkansas week provided by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

The Arkansas times and Kuer FM 89.