When students in the Mobile County Public School System logged on for the first day of classes on September 1, 2020, they walked into a school year unlike any before. The state’s largest district — with roughly 90 schools serving tens of thousands of students — launched the year entirely online as Alabama continued grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead of rows of desks and cafeteria lines, the first-day experience played out through screens at kitchen tables and living rooms across Mobile County. For educators, the transition meant teaching without the physical presence of their students.
“It’s sad. I’m just gonna imagine that when I’m teaching them virtually that they are actually sitting in my class,” said Pamela Haines, an eighth-grade math teacher at Pillans Middle School.
Working Through Technology Hurdles
Wireless connectivity and device access presented immediate challenges. Jacinda Hollins, the principal at Pillans Middle School, said her staff was working directly with each family to resolve technical difficulties as they arose.
“I don’t think WiFi will be an issue. As far as the Chromebooks, even though a parent may not have received a Chromebook, you can also access Schoology on your phone, on a tablet, on an iPad, on a laptop, because it’s a web browser,” Hollins explained.
The district also positioned WiFi-equipped buses throughout Mobile County to extend internet access to families without reliable home connections.
Looking Ahead to In-Person Return
MCPSS committed to monitoring countywide COVID-19 case levels throughout the initial nine-week virtual period. When the district determined it was safe for students to return, parents would have the choice between sending their children back to classrooms or continuing online instruction.
Whenever that return happened, Hollins said the school planned to have teachers rotate between classrooms — rather than students moving hallways — to maintain social distancing and reduce the potential spread of the virus.