Learning from home underscores Maryland’s energy inequality

Ruth Ann Norton and Raymond Nevo

In recent weeks, parents across Maryland have gotten the news had hoped they wouldn’t hear: most in-person schools will be closed indefinitely, which means most students will continue learning from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virtual learning has laid bare a deep-rooted disparity low-income Marylanders face: the unjust distribution of energy and housing costs, especially for Marylanders of color. We are compelling many children in disadvantaged communities to turn bedrooms into classrooms – assuming there is an available bedroom in their home – and to study in unhealthy buildings with drafty windows, poor insulation, broken heating systems, shoddy lighting and much more.

Continue reading about the impact of energy inequalities on Maryland families in The Baltimore Sun.