Like the rest of the higher education landscape, college programs in prisons must rethink how they teach their students during the coronavirus.

While some facilities still allow educators in as essential staff, many are temporarily pivoting to remote learning for students’ safety, despite “variable” access to technology. 

For most policymakers, Adam Ramsdell, 40, probably doesn’t resemble the stereotypical first-time college student. He’s older and independent, not a teenager living in a dorm and relying on his parents’ support. But Ramsdell represents a common college student demographic.

With the pandemic shutting down many job opportunities, working students like Ramsdell are often left with an impossible choice: focus on education but lack money for food, or work enough hours to meet Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility but compromise their education.