Like most school districts nationwide, Shelby County Schools has suspended class indefinitely due to the global COVID-19 outbreaks. This has led to an unprecedented disruption of K-12 education that leaves children at risk of missing critical skills needed to advance in their educational careers.
While some schools have switched to online classes to continue schooling, children living in homes without broadband internet service are at a severe disadvantage compared to classmates with access to internet services. This is especially pertinent in Memphis. Shelby County Schools is Tennessee’s largest public-school district and is among the 25 largest public school districts in the United States. Due to school closures, more than 113,000 students are home — many with limited access to technology or the internet.
In response to the educational crisis, WMC Action News 5 has partnered with Shelby County Schools to offer educational programming and digital resources to support continued at-home learning. The station has begun broadcasting Shelby County Schools’ teacher lessons on its multicast station Bounce, which is broadcast over the air at no charge on Channel 5.2. An antenna is needed to receive the signal. Other free, over-the-air options include Circle (a country music and entertainment network) and Grit (a Western-themed network, offering shows like Bonanza and films).
Other options include: Comcast Cable channel 906, Dish Network Channel 6, and WMC’s OTT channel (which is available on Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV).
Bounce, described by WMC as “the nation’s first over-the-air broadcast television network designed for African-American audiences,” features movies, sports, documentaries, faith-based programs, and original programming.
The partnership formed after Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Joris M. Ray stressed the importance of working to “address digital disparities and continue to provide learning opportunities and critical services to our students.”
This sentiment was echoed by Johnathan Mitchell, vice president and general manager of WMC Action News 5.
“While watching Dr. Ray speak during a press conference, I was struck by how much passion he had for his students affected by school closings due to the coronavirus. I knew we had to do something at WMC to help out,” says Mitchell. “Our team embraced the challenge of figuring out how to make this happen in a very short time, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Since it began on Thursday, March 26th, the daily broadcast schedule has included SCS-produced pre-K through 12th grade lessons, activities, and resources aligned to the same standards and assignments students would normally be working on at this point in the school year. The lessons focus on English/language arts, science, and math. As the lessons are archived, students and families will have unlimited access to a video library.
For more information, visit the WMC website at wmcactionnews5.com/news/education.
The school system has also prepared take-home packets with reading materials and assignments for students without online access. For more information about SCS school closures and available resources, parents can visit scsk12.org/coronavirusfacts.