SALEM, Ore. — School districts across Oregon and Washington have had a tough time adjusting to distance learning.
At this point, with the school year pretty much wrapping up, most kids have participated in some form of distance learning. But there are some who haven’t even logged on yet.
In the Salem-Keizer School District, Superintendent Christy Perry said about 100 high school students have still had no contact with their teachers. At this point, district staff have tried making phone calls and reaching out in other ways. In an attempt to make some sort of connection, staff have been going in person to students’ homes to check in.
Arthur Horton, who goes by his middle name Lee, is one of those staff members. During the typical school year, he’s a student mentor at McKay High School. He loves his kids.
“I just miss ‘em,” said Horton.
“I miss our students. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be doing what I do period,” he said.
He’s a listening ear, someone who encourages students to get to graduation.
“Some may take a little bit more [time] but that’s okay,” said Horton.
During the pandemic Horton said he’s knocked on 30-40 doors, trying to connect with students who never connected with their teachers. Other staff in the district are doing the same thing.
“Yeah, I’m coming to your house. We care about your situation, and not only the academic part, just to see if you’re healthy, you know what I mean? Is everything going alright,” he said.
Horton said students who haven’t started distance learning often tell him they’re overwhelmed, their devices aren’t working, or with school out of sight, it’s also out of mind.
“So we had about 100 students across our high schools that we haven’t been able to reach and engage in distance learning,” said Perry.
She said nearly half of those students are from the alternative school.
“They might be students expelled from school. They could be disenfranchised with school to begin with,” Perry said.
She said the students who attend the alternative school might be working jobs to support their families or they could be teen moms.
“Being home and distance learning they’re managing children and trying to be learners, and that’s a lot for any mom including a teen mom,” said Perry.
She said now, with the last day of school coming up next week, the plan is to look ahead to summer school and even fall, to figure out a way to help students succeed.
“I think it’s gonna be really critical as we come back, to really think about where our kids are both in their social emotional trauma but what I’m calling their academic trauma as well,” Perry said.
While the majority of the 10,000 high school students in the district have participated in distance learning in some way, with 100 of them still slipping through the cracks, Lee said he still has a lot to do. The push he’s making now, for kids who need it, is to encourage signing up for summer school.
“We’re out there trying to keep these students engaged and trying to get them across the finish line. And it doesn’t stop when school ends, we’re still gonna be out there grinding,” said Horton.
Perry said right now the focus is on three different groups of kids. The first group is the roughly 100 students who haven’t had contact with their teachers.
There are also 325 seniors who don’t have enough credits to graduate. Educators are hoping to get them the credits they need by graduation in August.
The other group of students that teachers and staff are focusing on are the 9th-11th graders who may also be short on credits.
What about students in other school districts?
We reached out to the Portland Public School District as well as Beaverton Schools to inquire about the number of high school students who have yet to make contact with their teachers.
Maureen Wheeler, spokesperson for the Beaverton School District did not have a specific number she could provide, but said staff are aware there are some students who have not connected to distance learning. In some cases she said it's been a family decision not to engage.
Karen Werstein, spokesperson for Portland Public Schools, said staff have been intentional about making contact with every high school student, especially seniors in order to make sure they graduate.
"As of May 12, we had reached all but 68 high school students. This includes our 9 comprehensive schools plus, alternative schools and community based programs. I know our staff and community partners have worked tirelessly to reach every student. That number represents less than one percent of high school students who have not been reached," said Werstein in an e-mail.