 WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. AP About 51,000 K-12 public school students in Detroit will receive computer tablets and high-speed internet to help transition from classroom to virtual learning during the coronavirus pandemic in one of the nations poorest big cities. Schools across Michigan closed in March as part of the states stay home order to slow the spread of the virus. And while many suburban districts quickly moved teaching online, Detroit lagged because nine out of 10 students dont have access to tablets, computers or the internet. When our executive team began prioritizing COVID-19 relief efforts, the issue of digital inequity for Detroit students rose to the top, said Jerry Norcia, president and chief executive of DTE Energy. The Detroit-based utilitys foundation is one of the groups contributing a total of 23 million to the initiative. Each student in the Detroit Public Schools Community District is expected to receive a laptop by the end of the academic year in June. We recognized that we needed to take action urgently to close the digital divide for these students and provide them with the tools necessary to thrive in the 21st century, Norcia said. The first six months of internet connectivity will be fully subsidized. Students then will be transitioned to a low-cost, hard-wired connection. Nationwide, nearly 3 million students make do without home internet because of the high costs of service and gaps in its availability. The disadvantaged students are more likely to be students of color, from low-income families or in households with lower parental education levels. The nations largest school districts, including Los Angeles and New York, are spending millions of dollars to provide devices and internet connections for students... 