After a year of remote, hybrid and socially distanced learning, Hamilton County Schools’ Summer REACH program will begin its first session next week. With more funding, state requirements and changes to health guidance for COVID-19, the program has modified certain criteria for students and teachers.
Program goals
Last year, Summer REACH acted in part as a “soft reopening” for schools in Hamilton County to test safety protocols and address the needs of at-risk learners, said Deputy Superintendent Nakia Towns.
“We stood up Summer REACH on our own as a district, it was our idea, and we had come off of a year where we had closed down school for the full last quarter. So this was our return to school, having not been in school since March 13,” Towns said.
This year, Towns said, the goal is to reinforce concepts taught in the previous school year and introduce new ones for the upcoming year in a more normal school environment. Additionally, last year’s program required masks and social distancing, while this year, the requirement will be lifted following the district’s decision to make masks optional starting June 1.