The pre-existing education opportunity gap for marginalized children is exacerbated amid COVID due to:

• The technology-gap (gaps in availability of computers/internet access, limits in student technology knowledge, lack of needed assistive technology, lack of computer repair access, etc.);
• The lack of space to learn (homelessness, too many people/pets in a space and/or other noise, lack of desk/chair/supplies, etc.);
• The time and capacity limitations of caretakers who have a critical role in supporting learning (they are working, they have limited English proficiency, they have limited tech capacity, they aren’t trained to provide needed special education services, they have Coronavirus-related or other health conditions that impede their ability to help, etc.);
• The lack of student time (they are caregivers for younger children, they are working, etc.);
• The extent to which the child – due to disabilities and/or other factors – requires in-person services unavailable during school closure;

• The social-emotional well-being of the student being harmed by Coronavirus-related factors of family stress (financial stress, unemployment, homelessness), personal stress (uncertainties, lack of connection with friends), etc., thus impeding the student’s learning;
• The physical well-being of the student being harmed by Coronavirus-related factors (hunger exacerbated by school closure, homelessness, child abuse, Coronavirus itself, etc.), thus impeding the student’s learning; and
• Other challenges of districts, schools and staff in connecting with a particular student to effectively support the student’s remote learning.

Moreover, the disproportionate impact of the Coronavirus on communities of color compounds all of these factors, exposing already crippling equity gaps.

States and districts must ensure that the new federal COVID education funding is used to advance equity for and support the needs of marginalized children and their families.  And states and districts must avoid funding cuts that increase education inequities.