It’s a Tuesday afternoon and the grounds of Mendota Elementary school are vacant. There are no students sitting for circle time. There are no teachers organizing crafts, games and lessons. Instead, students and teachers are at home learning virtually. Though it’s quiet now, in 24 hours there will be a pop-up pantry with dry goods, meats and produce; on the other side of the parking lot, there will be a public library book bus.  

The staff and systems in place at Mendota Elementary have been supporting families in ways beyond education despite the physical barriers put in place by COVID-19. 

Due to COVID, every school in MMSD began the school year in a fully virtual format. This means staff working with Mendota Elementary have physical limitations to their interactions and assistance with students and families. Though providing students with traditional services isn’t currently possible, families feel that the school is supporting their needs in these challenging times just as they had done before. Hailey Spring, a mother with two elementary-aged children, has had to take time off work to homeschool her children while taking online college courses. 

“It’s been really hard because I don’t feel like I can go anywhere,” Spring said. She would rather her children be at home during coronavirus and believes the school has found ways to ensure student’s needs are being met and making the process as organized as possible. “They do so much at Mendota and even Madison School District are making sure that no matter what income the kids still get food boxes every week if they want to.” 

Madison Metropolitan School District defines a community school as a “place that builds on the assets of the community to help serve the identified needs of the students, families and community through well-integrated and coordinated, strategic partnerships.” Mendota is one of four community schools in the district—all of which are elementary level schools. 

The school and community have a symbiotic relationship. The school has a resource coordinator who integrates services like vocational training, food pantries, health services and counseling between the school and community partnerships. 

“The community school is a positive addition. There definitely was a need there,” Spring said. 

The school builds bridges with school partners and community stakeholders to create opportunities for children and families—like accessing a school pharmacy, finding transportation to a job interview or leisurely activities such as a camping trip, according to PTO member and Mendota parent Beth Welch. These in-person social events and extracurricular opportunities were lost due to the pandemic. 

“There were so many in-person community-building, relationship-building, and skill-building activities and opportunities and you can’t do that right now,” Welch said. “So that’s what has changed so it’s all transitioned to being virtual or drive-thru or offsite.”

The school play is one of those events which couldn’t be translated to a virtual platform. Mendota parent Shelly Patterson says her daughter was disappointed, and that the biggest struggle of virtual learning is the loss of social interaction through school and extracurricular activities. 

Though things have changed, the school is still providing students with support and resources while following public health guidelines. The social and communal aspects of the school were stifled with the pandemic, but tangible needs such as backpacks full of supplies, technological help and equipment, and regular meal pickups have stayed consistent, according to parents. Additionally, the school is maintaining contact to check-in with families. 

“I think they’re doing great. They have provided supplies for us. They are checking to see how we feel things are going, said Patterson. “They are really open to having interaction with the parent and trying to figure out what’s best for the kids.”

 While some families have started learning pods, others are facing barriers like accessing stable internet access, finding childcare or just dealing with emotional stress. At Mendota Elementary nearly three-fourths of the student body is considered economically disadvantaged, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction School Report Card.

State Rep. Melissa Sargent, whose district covers much of Mendota’s neighborhoods, believes the pandemic is exasperating inequalities that already existed in our public school systems or childcare settings. 

COVID is hitting communities facing social and economic inequities—often those from racial and ethnic minorities—the hardest, according to the CDC.  Compared to other MMSD elementary schools, Mendota has the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged families. 

The Madison Community School Framework was specifically designed around supporting low-income families, families of color, families who have a child with a disability and families who do not speak English. The connection and relationships between the school, families and community partners has the ability to increase equity and accessibility of opportunity, according to the framework. 

 “I would love to see the community school model welcomed and embraced, in particular in elementary schools,” said Rep. Sargent. 

Many Mendota families were dealing with socio-economic challenges pre-COVID. These challenges will be amplified, but Mendota Elementary’s community model has created a supportive network to mitigate these effects and make sure families have somewhere to turn. 

“I feel like if I really needed something I could call the school and if they could help provide it they would. I’ve actually always felt like that with Mendota,” said Patterson.