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Virtual summer classes offered to students below grade level in Hillsborough County

The school district said there are about 24,000 students eligible for virtual summer learning.

TAMPA, Fla. — As the school year wraps up, the district in Hillsborough County announced its plans for students who need more help over the summer.

The district said Wednesday that there will be Virtual Summer Learning for students below grade level or who need additional classes to recover lost credits. 

There are about 24,000 students who qualify for the virtual summer classes. The district said it will reach out to families of those students with an invitation for Virtual Summer Learning. More information on availability will arrive on the Edsby system.

"We understand that this e-learning process may have created a wedge, an intellectual divide because we know the power of a face to face brick and mortar classroom where are teachers are truely connecting with our children every single day," Superintendent Addison Davis said.

Students in kindergarten through 4th grade who are behind in math or reading will get access to programs with i-Ready and Scholastic as well as grab-and-go bags of materials put together by the district.

Elementary school students who want to continue learning over the summer will have access to the virtual school, and middle and high school students will have virtual options for grade recovery.

Schools have been physically closed since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Students have since been doing distance learning online.

As for schools reopening in the fall, spokesperson Tanya Arja said "the Hillsborough County School District is coming up with plans" to bring students back safely. Arja said there will be several plans formulated and then decisions will be made as the new school year gets closer, depending on further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Davis said there's a possibility the district will bring students back two weeks early in the fall to help bridge any learning gaps. The district is also planning for a blended model of learning with some virtual and some in-person classes, depending on CDC guidance.

RELATED: Hillsborough schools to announce plans for its summer classes

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