Read on Twitter
True story: On March 15, 2020, I saw the Tweet below. I was at home, working through my own school related pandemic challenges and could not even imagine what a small town school was facing. https://twitter.com/LDLOVEL/status/1239368178435833856?s=20
The next day, I received a call from a reporter wanting to talk with me about how schools would be supporting students w/ disabilities during the #COVID19 pandemic. The reporter knew me because we had talked during the #Restraint & Seclusion issues.
The reporter asked: would there be schools that were not prepared? Absolutely. I talked about the school I had seen last night on Twitter and connected her to the superintendent, @LDLOVEL. I don't know him, but he and I follow each other on here.
On March 27, 2020, @ProPublicaIL published this piece about the internet divide in Illinois. https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-schools-online-tools-coronavirus-digital-divideI read the story. Saw some of my colleagues and friends ( @TonySandersU46) quoted and then reached out to @LDLOVEL to let him know I had connected the reporter.
Honestly, I apologized to him. Sometimes, reporters are not always your best friends. 
He replied: I was thankful to have those conversations. Thank you for sharing that post with her and for the story that followed.
March 31, 2020. I see this Tweet. https://twitter.com/LDLOVEL/status/1245101733971292160?s=20
@LDLOVEL reached out to say that a local internet service provider has arranged for microcells for his communities. The communities from the beginning of this Twitter thread are getting internet. Apparently, he has been trying to work on this for years, but with no such luck.
A few lessons I've learned:--> Always pick up the phone when the reporter calls... you never know where it might lead.
--> Connect with & learn from each other. I was so amazed that small town Illinois would be making photocopies for families in 2020. That's not my reality.
Final lesson - I don't always see eye to eye with @Jodiscohen & @jsmithrichards. The stories they have written about some of my colleagues have been challenging for me as a professional.
But, every once in awhile, good reporting makes a difference. And in this case, it helped to get a small town full of kids access to the internet. During a pandemic. Where remote learning is the name of the game. And that's a BIG deal. #WeKeepLeading
