The closing of classrooms and the move to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected students living in rural areas.Cyliss Castillo is one of them.The 18-year-old lives in Cuba, New Mexico, in a school district on the edge of Native American land that belongs to the Navajo Nation.Like many of his neighbors, Castillo does not have the internet or even electricity."There's not a lot to do here. You clean up, pick up trash or build stuff," he told the Associated Press.Castillo said he does not like online school."Hopefully by next semester we'll be going back into school…I just find it a lot easier and a lot better than just out here, not doing (anything)," he said.The Cuba Independent School District sits in a village of about 800 people.The district has kept buses running as a way to bring school to students who live in widely separated areas.The buses carry schoolwork, art supplies and meals.Advisers also use the buses to speak with students who may be struggling with online bullying, abuse, thoughts of suicide or other problems.
