PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A new state law allows Pennsylvania students to repeat a grade and make up for learning disrupted this year by the coronavirus pandemic.
Parents don’t have much longer to decide if they want to opt their kids in. They have to notify school districts by July 15.
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At a news conference on Thursday, School District of Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite said he wasn’t sure what the response from parents will be.
“There are too many unknowns right now to talk about the consequences of this or the implications of it. But once we have more information on the 15th, I’ll be able to provide a better response,” he said.
Hite isn’t sure how many students will choose the do-over. No one wants to see a large number of students retained, he said, but he said he understands the difficulty of virtual and hybrid learning this past year.
He is urging parents to do some homework before choosing to repeat a year.
“We plan to work with families to get them as much information as we possibly can so that they can make an informed decision,” he added. “We want them to be informed and want them to reach out to their school administration or their teacher, their child’s teacher, to talk through any concerns that they have relative to where a child is academically.”
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Similar to a provision in New Jersey, Pennsylvania is also allowing students with disabilities, who would have aged out of the system by turning 21 last year, the chance to go to school for one more year.