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INDIANAPOLIS — Some students aren’t able to connect to their virtual classrooms through no fault of their own.

Kiymani Russell, a third grader at Edison School of the Arts, is keeping up with her school work through paper packets, since she can’t do any of her school work online.

She doesn’t have internet service at home because of a past due cable bills with Spectrum.

Her mother says she may owe $1,000 because she faced tough financial times. Her pleas for help fell on deaf ears.

Swantella Nelson, her mother, says she tried to talk to Spectrum to get internet service so her daughter can do school work.

“No they are not going to do it,” Nelson said. “They want their money.”

Stand for Children, an advocacy group, is critical of Spectrum for not helping kids who have disconnected services when schools were forced to switch to e-learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While some internet providers are trying to do the right thing, there are a few, like Spectrum, that continue to hold a hard line that are keeping families in need from being able to access the internet is essential,” said Justin Ohlemiller, executive director for the group. “The internet is not a nice to have. It is a must when comes to the education of kids.”

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