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A28 u.s. news
Dialuna 7 Juni 2021

Another COVID side effect: Many kids head to summer school

(AP) - With her three The expanded programs
teenagers vaccinated around the country have
against COVID-19, Aja greatly increased the need
Purnell-Mitchell left it up not only for teachers but for
to them to decide whether bus drivers, custodians and
to go back to school dur- cafeteria employees.
ing summer break.
Some North Carolina teach-
The decision was unani- ers will get a $1,200 bonus.
mous: summer school. There are also bonuses for
teachers in certain grades
“Getting them back into it, whose students show im-
helping them socialize back provement in reading and
with their friends, maybe math.
meet some new people, and,
of course, pick up the things Elsewhere, a district in An-
that they lacked on Zoom,” derson, South Carolina, has
the Durham County, North nearly doubled teachers’
Carolina, mother said, tick- summer school pay to $60
ing off her hopes for the ses- an hour. Teachers and nurses
sion ahead, which will be the in Spring Branch, Texas, are
first time her children have getting raises of up to 20%.
been in the classroom since In Mississippi, the Starkville
the outbreak took hold in the Oktibbeha school system
spring of 2020. raised teachers’ hourly pay by
$10, to $35, for the summer.
Across the U.S., more chil-
dren than ever before could dents who were falling be- friends — after a year of re- tion and meals, thanks to the Connecticut is promising
be in classrooms for sum- hind even before COVID-19 mote learning. influx of federal spending. $4,500 stipends to 500 col-
mer school this year to make closed schools and were like- lege students who work at
up for lost learning during ly to encounter technological “This year was such an un- Under a unanimously passed K-12 summer programs.
the outbreak, which caused hurdles afterward. motivating school year,” she North Carolina law, the near-
monumental disruptions in said. ly 1 in 4 students deemed to New York City, the nation’s
education. School districts “It’s not realistic to think that be in danger of falling behind largest school district, with
nationwide are expanding summer school, no matter “It got to the point where I — about 200,000 students over 1 million youngsters, is
their summer programs and how good and intense, will wasn’t doing ANY work, I statewide — are being given offering summer school to all
offering bonuses to get teach- close all the gaps because was just going to class,” Den- priority for summer school, students, not just those fall-
ers to take part. many of these kids had gaps nington, who is taking biol- with extra slots open to oth- ing behind.
before the pandemic,” said ogy and math, said in a text ers who want them. Some
Under the most recent fed- Hettleman, who wants to exchange. “I learn better in districts are inviting all of “Our kids have been through
eral pandemic relief package, see sessions mandatory for school than online. Being in their students. so much,” Mayor Bill de Bla-
the Biden administration is low-performing students in a classroom where a teacher sio said in announcing the
requiring states to devote Baltimore. “But it will help, is present is so much bet- Full Coverage: Coronavirus plans, “and they need our
some of the billions of dollars and it will at least give them ter than waiting hours for an pandemic support as we build a recov-
to summer programs. a fighting chance if there are email back from your teach- School systems must devote ery for all of us.”
intense interventions during er.” some of the federal funding
The U.S. Education Depart- the regular school year.” to deal with COVID-19′s Philadelphia and San Di-
ment said it is too early to In North Carolina, Purnell- disproportionate effect on ego are among others to an-
know how many students Las Vegas high school fresh- Mitchell’s children will have students from poor families, nounce districtwide eligibil-
will sign up. But the num- man Taylor Dennington access to five or six weeks of those whose first language is ity. Chicago plans to vastly
ber is all but certain to exceed never thought she would be full-day programs that in- not English, members of mi- expand its programs.
the estimated 3.3 million in summer school, but there clude academics and activities nority groups and those who
who went to mandatory or she was starting this past like sports or music. Districts are homeless or in foster care. Purnell-Mitchell said her
optional summer school in week — along with plenty of also will provide transporta- children had different rea-
2019, before the pandemic. sons for wanting to go to
school this summer. Her old-
In Montgomery, Alabama, for er daughter, Kyra Mitchell,
example, more than 12,000 who has autism, missed the
of the school system’s 28,000 one-on-one interaction with
students signed up before the teachers that helps her learn,
June 1 deadline. Typically while Kyla Mitchell did well
about 2,500 go to summer remotely but wasn’t able to
school. Philadelphia had en- make new friends and social-
rolled 14,700 by Friday and ize. Her son, Cartier Mitch-
was expecting more for the ell, said he had had enough
mostly in-person programs, time off and was ready to go
up from the 9,300 students in back.
last summer’s all-virtual ses-
sions. “I think it’s going to give
them some of the milestone
“It’s an understatement to markers that they might have
say the needs are greater this missed and give them a bet-
year,” said Kalman Hettle- ter outlook for going into the
man, an education policy doors” in the fall, Purnell-
analyst in Maryland. MItchell said, ”instead of
feeling like they’ve lost a year
Hettleman worries most and a half of knowing what
about the reading skills of they’re doing.”
disadvantaged younger stu-