OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A number of Nebraska school districts are planning to expand summer school sessions and offer other additional help to students who fell behind because of the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that Nebraska's largest school districts said that between a quarter and one-third of high school students attending classes remotely failed two or more classes last semester. That failure rate is significantly higher than it was before the pandemic.
The need for additional help is especially critical for high school juniors and seniors who have fallen behind on coursework that could delay graduation.
"Eleventh- and 12th-graders need those credits to graduate, so obviously there's a sense of urgency there," said Heather Phipps, associate superintendent of education services in Millard Public Schools.
The Millard district hired an additional teacher and paraprofessional at each of its three high schools to help students work on recovering course credits for failed courses. Some teachers are also working late to offer students more help.
In the state's largest school district, officials are planning to expand summer school and create individual recovery plans for every student to help them make up what they missed while learning remotely. Omaha Superintendent Cheryl Logan has told her school board that every student will be eligible for summer school this year because they all lost time in school.