Public schools in certain states, including Washington, D.C., and several counties in Texas and Georgia, have decided to end the school year early amid concerns that virtual learning may prove to be too difficult for students and teachers alike.
“We believe that preserving some time from June and potentially utilizing that time in August, would be the best approach to provide the optimal learning experience for students,” Chancellor Lewis Ferebee of D.C. public schools said during a news briefing.
Elsewhere in Bibb County, located in Macon, Georgia, they’ve announced that they will conclude school on May 1st, which is three weeks earlier than scheduled.
“The vast majority of our community was feeling stressed,” superintendent of the Bibb County district, Curtis Jones Jr., said to the Wall Street Journal. “There were inequities between schools. I had teachers who were telling me, `I’m trying to figure out how to do my job as well as teach my class.’ It made sense to us to get rid of the stress and get ready for the following school year.”
Other arrangements are being made to adapt to virtual schooling. In New York City, their schools will use a revised grading system for many students as they struggle to adapt to these unforeseen changes.
During a conference call on April 27th, Donald Trump urged some state governors to consider reopening schools for the remainder of the school year. Many experts are voicing their concerns with the premature closings, worried about the potential setbacks that students will likely face, often called the “summer slide,” or the loss in educational gains that students have made throughout the school year. Experts believe that this slide could be extremely detrimental to students if the school year ends too early.
