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GCS Considers Extra Semester, Programs To Help Mitigate Pandemic Impacts

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school district in North Carolina. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Public schools across the state are trying to find ways to help kids who fell behind during remote learning. Guilford County Schools is considering extending the school year for some students.

Districts are waiting for state lawmakers to decide on school calendar flexibility. Guilford County Schools says it wants more time to help struggling students get back on track.

Superintendent Sharon Contreras says the district is looking at several additional learning opportunities to do that. Those include targeted math tutoring programs, weekend learning hubs, and having some middle and high school students attend classes during a fifth quarter in the summer.

“What we are saying is, teachers would give incompletes instead of Fs, and if that student wanted to pass, they would have to come in for this fifth quarter, so that is a reality,” she says.

Forty percent of GCS students failed at least one course during the first quarter of this school year, compared to 29 percent of students for the same time last year.

School officials say besides any state mandates, the total amount of COVID relief funding the district ends up receiving will also impact what programs will be offered in the coming months.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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