Idaho district begins summer school to address education gap

BURLEY, Idaho (AP) — School district officials in Idaho have started offering a full summer school program to catch up all students who may have fallen behind academically during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Times-News reported the Cassia County School District was prompted to move to a full program to fill the educational gaps caused by the pandemic during remote learning.

Cassia County School District spokesperson Debbie Critchfield says in previous years, the district offered limited summer school to migrant programs or after-school programs.

The Cassia School District estimates the program will cost about $600,000 — with $490,000 coming from Republican Gov. Brad Little’s learning loss money and $100,000 from federal stimulus funds.