SUMMERSCHOOL5VSSV

Across our area: school districts report an unusual number of students falling behind..

And failing classes.

New at 5 -- action news now reporter tori apodaca is live at shasta elementary school to show us what this means for summer school.

Tori..

How many kids are they expecting to repeat courses?

Well the district usually gets around 300 and 400 students at the jr high and high school levels, but they are anticipating a good number of elementary students for summer school this year as well.

School districits across our area tell me: the pandemic has caused learning loss across all grade levels..

But this has been especially true for the elementary aged students.

Thanks to federal pandemic relief funds, and california's learning loss mitigation funding, school districts like chico unified will be able to offer students more classroom time this summer.

Jay marchant (on the phone graphic) "we have enough money to do it this summer, next summer and to do more extended learning during the school year."

// shannon logue, shasta elementary teacher "i think it's going to be great to have the students together and just continuing to keep making progress through everything we lost throughout the school year."

The plan is to focus on reading and math, but also give students the opportunity to be kids through recreation and enrichment programs. any current chico unified student will be able to join these summer school sessions for free.

Other districts i spoke to say that summer school in the past has been focused on credit recovery, but now these programs will extend far beyond this to address learning loss.

Live in chico, tori apodaca.

Action news now.

Coverage you can count on.

And the chico unified school district did send out a survey about its plans for the elementary summer school programs. go to action news now dot com slash links to fill it out.