Yukon parents worry about internet costs during at-home high school

Some Whitehorse parents and caregivers are nervous about rising internet costs this fall, as high school students prepare for more at-home learning.

"I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to budget it," said Cindy Chiasson, who cares for two grandchildren in Whitehorse.

When in-class learning was suspended this past spring, Chiasson had to increase her internet package and buy a new computer for her grandsons to share. As she struggles with the bills, Chiasson thinks families should get more financial support.

"We need something so we can cover the costs, because it's going to be atrocious," said Chiasson.

Georgina Widney says her family's internet usage skyrocketted to $600 to $700 a month during the pandemic, as her two children streamed online lessons. She's worried about her daughter, a Grade 10 student at Porter Creek Secondary School, learning at home halftime.

This spring, "we couldn't keep up with the payments, " Widney said. Her family lives outside Whitehorse city limits, so Northwestel did not waive her internet overage fees.

According to a recent survey by the government of Yukon, almost 30 per cent of student respondents said they couldn't do video lessons during the pandemic because of internet problems.

When the new school year begins later this month, Grades 10 to 12 students in Whitehorse will only be in the classroom half of the day to help with safe spacing. Other Yukon students will be back in class full time. 

In an email to parents, Porter Creek Secondary School officials said teachers will use online tools like Google Classroom, Moodle, Microsoft Teams or their website when students are not in the classroom.

Deputy Education Minister Nicole Morgan said the government is working to ensure that internet access isn't a barrier this school year. Students can use school internet at supervised study halls, she said.

Morgan says at-home learning will not be the same as when schools shut down in March.

Teachers will be "maximizing" in-class instruction, Morgan said. "We're not requiring any students to do online learning at this time," she said.

Outside of class, students "can be doing pre-reading for their lessons ... working on assignments," Morgan said. 

Education department spokesperson Kyle Nightingale said teachers will work with students to "ensure they are able to complete their work in other ways" if they can't work online.

He said caregivers or students should let their teacher or school principal know about any concerns.

Some parents have pushed back against the plan for half-day class for Whitehorse students in Grades 10 to 12, saying it may cause academic, social and emotional consequences.

A Yukon government handout says parents should ensure their child "has access to devices, technology and internet away from school. If you do not have devices for your student to access, please discuss with your school when school resumes."  

Northwestel is no longer waiving Internet overage fees like it did for some communities from March to June. However, the company has permanently increased data caps at no extra cost in all Yukon communities other than Old Crow. The customers who are already paying for larger packages receive a larger data increase.