ANOTHER
ANOTHER OZONE ACTION DAY SO KEEP THAT IN MIND, OTHERWISE
LOTS OF SUNNY SKIES AND A
PLEASANT DAY WITH HIGHS IN+@ TH
LOWER 90s.
LOWER 90s. NORTHEAST WINDS AT 5 TO 10 THIS
AFTERNOON.
AFTERNOON. ALL RIGHT MARC OUT TO YOU.
>>> THANK YOU GREG, IT IS 6:38
AM AND TIME FOR DAYBREAK BEFORE
THE BELL.
THE BELL.
THE BELL. AS WE HAVE BEEN DOING ON
WEDNESDAYS, TO GET YOU READY
FOR THIS FALL WE ARE DEDICATING
THIS TIME IN THE NEWSCAST TO
HELPING PARENTS, STUDENTS AND
EDUCATORS NAVIGATE THE SCHOOL
YEAR LIKE NONE THAT WE'VE EVER
SEEN BEFORE.
SEEN BEFORE. WE KNOW THAT THE REAL SPIRIT OF
NORTH +@TEXAS IS HELPING OUR
NEIGHBORS AND GIVING BACK.
AN ESTIMATED 25,000 STUDENTS IN
OUR AREA LACK THE BASIC TOOLS
THEY NEED TO DO THEIR SCHOOL
WORK FROM HOME AS SO MANY OF
OUR STUDENTS ARE.
THAT IS WHY WE ARE TRYING TO
BRIDGE THE GAP.
WFAA HAS PARTNERED WITH
COMPU.WHICH IS A TEXAS-BASED
NONPROFIT W+@HICH WORKS DIRECTL
WITH FAMILIES TO DISTRIBUTE THE
SUPPLIES THEY NEED IN THEIR
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A PHONE BANK,
THESE FOLKS ARE ON ZOOM WORKING
REMOTELY BUT STILL TAKING YOUR
CALLS AND WE NEED YOUR HELP,
FOR EVERY $2000+@ WE RAISE
WE
WE CAN
WE CAN DONATE 10 LIKE NEW COMPUTERS TO KIDS HERE IN
DALLAS A+@ND FORT WORTH WHICH
INCRE+@ASES THEIR CHANCES OF
EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS.
EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS. WE HAVE AN AMBITIOUS GOAL OF
+@
+@ 500
+@ 500 NEW COMPUTERS SO ANY AMOUNT
THAT YOU GIVE CAN HELP.
CALL 469 CALL 469646 -- AND WE
WILL CONTINUE TO SCROLL THE
NUMBER AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR
SCREEN+@.
SCREEN+@.
SCREEN+@. IT'S +@SAFE TO SAY THE PANDEMIC
HAS BEEN HARD ON AL+@L OF US
THOUGH IT AFFECTS EACH FAMILY
DIFFERENTLY WHICH IS WHY WE
THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
REMEMBER T+@HAT NOT EVERY KID H
WHAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TWO
DIFFERENT FAMILIES ARE EACH
FACING THE CHALLENGES.
>> Reporter: MEET RITA, SHE IS
A SIXTH-GRADER WHO LIVES AT
HOME WITH HER MOM AND DAD.
MEET HER CLASSMATE JAMES WHO
ALSO LIVES AT HOME WITH HIS
PARENTS.
PARENTS.
PARENTS. +@RITA'S DAD HAS A JOB THAT LET
HIM +@WORK AT HOME AND HER MOM
CHOOSES TO STAY +@HOME AS WELL.
THEY ARE IN THE MINORITY
BECAUSE THE BUREAU OF LABOR
STATISTICS SAYS IN 64% O+@F
FAMILIES WITH KIDS BOTH PARENTS
WORK.
WORK.
WORK. JAMES'S DAD IS AN ESSENTIAL
WORKER AND TAKES THE OVERNIGHT
SHIFT AT A LOCAL GROCERY STORE
AND SLEEPS DURING THE DAY.
HIS MOM ALSO HAS A JOB WHICH
HELPS THEM PAY RENT AND AFFORD
HEALTHCARE.
HEALTHCARE. THESE PAST FEW MONTHS HAVE
AFFECTED RITA AND JAMES VERY
DIFFERENTLY.
DIFFERENTLY. WHEN THE SCHOOL WENT ONLINE IN
MARCH RITA WAS READY, SHE HAD
AN iPAD THAT SHE GOT FOR
CHRISTMAS AND VIDEO CHATS ALL
THE TIME WITH FRIENDS.
HE+@R FAMILY'S HIGH-SPEED
INTERNET MAKES IT A BREEZE.
ACCORDING TO ONE MICROSOFT
STUDY JAMES AND HIS+@ FAMILY AR
LIKE MORE THAN 160 MILLION
OTHER AMERICANS WHO DO NOT HAVE
ACCESS TO BROADBAND.
THEIR COMPUTER IS PRETTY OLD
AND THEY USE DIALUP TO GET
ONLINE.
ONLINE.
ONLINE. VIDEO CONFERENCING WITH
CLASSMATES HARDLY EVER WORKED,
DOWNLOADING A VIDEO TOOK
FOREVER.
FOREVER.
FOREVER. HOME IN THE SUMMER RITA'S MOM
READ ALL THE RESEARCH ON HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS FOR KIDS RITA'S
AGE TO SPEND TIME WITH FRIENDS
SO SHE ORGANIZED PLENTY OF
SOCIALLY DISTANT PLAY DATES.
JAMES HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO SEE
HIS FRIENDS IN MONTHS.
HIS FAMILY LIVES I+@N AN
APARTMENT WHERE THERE IS NOT A
LOT OF ROOM TO SOCIAL DISTANCE,
AND THEIR NEAREST PAR+@KA SEVER
MILES AWAY, TOO FAR FOR HIM AND
HIS BUDDIES TO WALK.
+@ THIS FALL JAMES AND RITA'S
SCHOOL IS LETTING FAMILIES
+@
SCHOOL IS LETTING FAMILIES CHOOSE BETWEEN IN PERSON
CLASSES OR VIRTUAL LEARNING. +@
RITA'S PARENTS ARE WORRIED
ABOUT HER GETTING SICK SO THEY
ARE GOING TO KEEP HER HOME.
JAMES'S PARENTS ARE WORRIED,
TOO BUT WITH THEIR JOBS AND+@ N
CHILDCARE KEEPING HIM HOME IS
NOT REALLY AN OPTION. +@
+@
+@ RITA'S
+@ RITA'S PARENTS DON'T WANT HER
TO FALL BEHIND SO THEY ARE
GOING TO HIRE A PRIVATE TUTOR.
JAMES'S PARENTS WOULD LOVE A
TUTOR BUT COULD NEVER AFFORD
ONE.
ONE.
ONE. THEY
ONE. THEY DO WANT TO HELP JAMES WITH
HOMEWORK BUT WITH THEIR WORK
SCULPTURES IN THERE IS HARDLY
ANY TIME.
ANY TIME.
ANY TIME. RITA AND HER FAMILY ARE EXCITED
ABOUT THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR
AND PLAN TO MAKE THE MOST OF
THE SITUATION.
THE SITUATION. JAMES IS WORRIED ABOUT THE FALL
AND HE AND HIS FAMILY ARE NOT
SURE HOW THEY WILL MAKE IT
WORK.
WORK.
WORK. >>
WORK. >> JUST A VISUAL REPRESENTATION
OF SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES THAT
MANY FAMILIES IN THE VIEWING
AREA FACE AND ONCE AGAIN IN THE
AMOUNT YOU CAN GIVE WI+@LL HELP
SUPPLY THOSE FAMILIES WITH THE
TECHNOLOGY THAT THEY NEED.
WE WANT TO THANK OUR DONATING
PARTNER TXU FOR HELPING US
REACH OUR GOAL, THEY DONATED
$50,000 BU+@T YOU CAN HELP AS
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. OUR
WELL. OUR PHONE BANK OF VOLUNTEERS IS
CHANCE STANDING BY, AND I GET
IT SOM+@ETIMES YOU DON'T LIKE
TALKING TO SOMEONE ON THE PHONE,
BUT IF YOU WANT TO DONATE YOU