Almost a year since schools in Massachusetts closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students in the region are still struggling, and the schools themselves are struggling to reach them.
And even as Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday he is looking to get elementary students back in the classrooms and eliminate remote learning by April, it’s been an uphill battle in the meantime.
Nicole Hudson, mother of Ciara, 8, and Celia, 6, who attend Sisson Elementary School, said that while her older daughter is doing just fine with her online classes, her younger daughter is having a tougher time. Hudson reached out to the school district to try to have her daughter put on an IEP (Individualized Education Program), but so far, she hasn’t had any luck.
“She already broke the computer the school gave us and she’s having a hard time,” Hudson said. “I understand there’s almost 20 elementary schools in Lynn, but you have to pay attention to the students in every single school.”
Lynn Public Schools has hired more social workers and nurses, and launched a diagnostic testing program in January to attempt to determine where students are falling behind. Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler said that while that system has been helpful, it’s too early to make any concrete determinations from the data.
“I have some kids who are actually attending with a higher degree now in remote learning than they were in traditional learning, and then we have the other side who struggle mightily,” Tutwiler said. “Our first line is the teacher relationship with the students and families.”
The issue isn’t limited to Lynn. In Peabody, when the district switched to a hybrid model, English language learners and special education students were given priority for the cohort that would spend four days per week in-person.
“In general, students who are maybe English language learners or have special needs are typically struggling learners. It’s harder to get personalized attention than normal,” said Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala.
In addition, low-income students don’t always have the resources at home that they would have during the school day. The district partnered with the Peabody Education Foundation to provide packages of school supplies to those students to try to close the gap.
“Their situation is a little more challenging,” Vadala said. “Remote learning has brought some of those inequities out.”
Salem Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike said that close to 70 percent of students in that district have chosen to have some amount of in-person learning, but that it isn’t enough to reach all of the students who need help.
To provide more outreach for those students, the district has set up learning hubs in schools and community organizations where students can come for extra help on their assignments. In addition, teachers and staff in the district have been assigned a list of students to keep an eye on, reaching out to families to ensure that those students are having their individual needs met.
“We feel much better about being able to support our struggling learners right now,” Zrike said.