ALBEMARLE — After many difficulties for parents and students during the global COVID-19 pandemic, Stanly County Schools has announced a “six-week learning recovery and enrichment program” to be held this summer.
Students in all grades, kindergarten through senior year in high school, can participate. Unlike much of the learning held over the last year, though, this program will be exclusively in person, as required by House Bill 82 passed unanimously through both chambers of the state legislature and signed by Gov. Roy Cooper.
H.B. 82 requires that “each local school administrative unit shall offer a school extension learning recovery and enrichment program outside of the instructional school calendar.”
It states that, “The purpose of the program shall be to provide in-person instruction on specific subjects, as well as offer additional enrichment activities, to students in kindergarten through grade 12 to address learning losses and negative impacts students have experienced due to COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 school year.”
“These sessions will be offered in person only as face to face instruction,” the district said in their announcement. “There will not be a virtual option for this program.”
The district has not decided the number and location of the sites for the program, as it will depend on how many students register.
One parent reacted on the district’s Facebook page, where the announcement has been shared 100 times, by saying, “Worth a try for the kids to help them with catching up and getting stronger in their foundation.” Another parent responded to their comment by saying, “I signed my kids up as soon as they posted it.”
The program will have a different focus depending on which grade the student is in. For kindergarten, first and second grade, the focus will be on reading and math. Grades 3-5, as well as 6-8, will focus on reading, math and science. Those in high school will focus on end-of-course instruction, credit recovery and an elective course.
The schedule for sessions will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Sessions will be held from June 14 to July 29. There will, however, be an 11-day break in the middle.
“There will not be any sessions held from July 1 to July 12 in observance of the Independence Day holiday,” the announcement said.
Stanly County Schools asks that parents interested in their child attending visit the district’s website or Facebook page to fill out a short survey and to enroll. The district says they need this information to know how many students to plan for. They ask that the survey be completed by May 7.