Rolling out remote learning hasn't been a breeze, especially in northern Butler County.

Armstrong spokesman Davit Wittman said the company has been working with schools across its footprint, which includes 68 school districts across six states.

“They're all very individual situations,” Wittman said.

Wittman said most people without internet access break down into two categories, those who are nonsubscribers and those who don't have infrastructure in their area.

For those who aren't subscribers, Armstrong has been notifying them of its entry-level package that provides bare minimum internet access, which should be adequate for children to access schoolwork. Wittman said installation fees have been waived during the coronavirus pandemic.

Wittman said for those who don't have infrastructure in the area, Armstrong is helping the districts look at hot spot capabilities, usually using cellular data.

Moniteau Area School District Superintendent Tom Samosky said the district's administrators, board and teachers have made the necessary upgrades to infrastructure and lesson plans to make remote learning work for the Warriors. He said parents also were instrumental in figuring things out.“Our parents have been very helpful in communicating through surveys and replying to any issues that have come up,” Samosky said.Moniteau children can access their coursework from home, and those who do not have internet can drive to the parking lot of the high school or the North Trails Public Library to access an upgraded hot spot.“We're still working on ways to provide better solutions,” Samosky said. “There may be at some juncture (the need) to turn to more traditional methods.”Meghan Hall said administrators and teachers have done an excellent job adapting on short notice.Hall has two daughters in the district. She said both have been busy with their assignments, but they have adjusted quickly to learning at home.“I'm actually enjoying this extra time together. It's time I get to see what they're doing day-to-day,” Hall said. “It's a little bit more relaxed at home instead of rushing around.”Seventh-grader Rory Hall said there are times she likes working from home, and other times where she misses having a teacher.“It's very fun and it's a different experience,” Rory said.

Karns City Area School District Superintendent Eric Ritzert said the district had to make changes to its remote learning plans as it ran into obstacles.District schools have been giving learning packets to students who don't have access to the internet. Initially, their parents picked up the packets by driving to the high school and waiting in their vehicles.Ritzert said he knew something had to change when the line of cars reached out onto the road.“It was an overwhelming response,” Ritzert said. “We learned from it.”He said he has high hopes for the latest version of this pickup, which staggers arrival times.“We're going to have our next parent pickup of materials on April 14, but we're going to spread it out throughout the day,” Ritzert said. “We'll have certain portions of the alphabet come at a time.”Ritzert said Karns City has continued to rely heavily on a large number of volunteers who have dedicated their time to make sure students are receiving their food and their lessons. He said the district will continue remote learning as long as it is needed.“We need to plan as if the school may not resume,” he said. “If we're able to return, that's a bonus and a thankful one at that.”

For one family in Slippery Rock, internet access has not been an issue.Slippery Rock Area School District parent Kris Callen said her children are self-motivated and tackled remote learning well so far.“We try to keep them in a routine and not fall into where what I call their brains to melt,” she said. “They're fairly disciplined on their own, as much as boys can be.”Eighth-grader Braden Callen said most everything he does for school is now online. He said while the material is the same, it feels different than being in school. He said some subjects like math are pretty standard with or without being in a classroom, but other subjects, like English, lack the feeling of connection.“Personally, my teachers are great, and I miss that personal touch,” he said.Eleventh-grader Colton Callen said he likes how loosely scheduled things are at home. He likes to work at his own pace, and it's all the same as long as the work gets done.Colton said he doesn't know too many people who don't have internet, but he knows a few kids who don't have a computer, and they have to do their work on their phones.“I know it's much harder that way,” he said.Slippery Rock Superintendent Alfonso Angelucci said distance learning has been a struggle for many of the district's families, but the administration and teachers have been working with internet providers to find better solutions.“Overall, our goal is to be understanding and patient since this is such a new way for so many of our students to learn, and, for our teachers to instruct,” Angelucci said. “The community and staff have been incredible in acknowledging the current circumstances as we work to make this as meaningful an educational opportunity as possible.”

As politicians continue to promote and examine the benefits of a fully connected country, the latest pandemic provides an example of needed resources.“I think it's reasonable that the importance of broadband connection to a home is going to be higher on our politician's radar,” Wittman said.According to Wittman, the federal government has begun to invest billions into expanding the internet infrastructure through federal and state grants programs. He said providers have spent a lot of their own money on expanding access too.Households remaining without internet access, he said, are a small percentage of the population.“The cable industry has invested billions of dollars without any public money to create this infrastructure,” he said.Wittman said with the pandemic, one thing has become particularly clear — tele-education will have a future.“Every school district has different thinking right now, but that may become more consistent in educational circles as we move forward,” he said. “We're trying our best to help wherever we can.”