PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The School District of Philadelphia is expanding summer school and offering in-person instruction and activities for all students as a way to address learning loss from a year of virtual classes.
The district is using part of its $1.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief aid to pay for the expanded summer options.
In conjunction with the city, summer camps will include academic refreshers in addition to physical activities and the arts. New programs are geared toward pre-K through second graders, STEM sessions for seventh and eighth graders, and a high school “bridge” program for ninth and 10th graders who haven’t yet set foot inside their schools.
Roughly 14,000 Philly students will have to attend summer school because they are failing a core course. For students who want to go, the district has opened registration for five- to six-week-long in-person summer programs.
At a news conference at district headquarters, Deputy Mayor Cynthia Figueroa said the summer sessions can provide a break for parents as well.
“It’s another opportunity to have a full day where their child is in a safe location with services and caring adults who are providing supports to them,” she explained.
Superintendent William Hite admitted summer school isn’t going to magically solve the year-long learning loss.
“You don’t make up that time in five or six weeks. We understand that. What we’re trying to do is reduce regression, but that’s going to be something that we’re going to have to continue to work on over the next several years,” he said.
The summer programs are available at 24 schools and potentially up to 39 if there’s enough demand. Hite said the will immerse students in more than just educational endeavors.
“Many of these young people have been in front of computer screens for a whole year. It’s also important for them to engage in activities that are not just education-based,” he added. “We want them to be in the arts, in physical activities, exploring, doing camps and all of those other things that will also be a part of the summer programs.”