Arlington School District waives summer school fees

The Arlington School District is waiving summer school fees to give all students access to additional support this summer.

The district is also planning a number of other programs as well this summer meant to help students.

For summer school, students attempting to makeup credits could get the $150 fee waived previously if they qualified for free and reduced lunch.

No students will have to pay the fee this upcoming summer though.

“This is really another effort to try and remove barriers for certain families,” said Gary Sabol, director of communications for the school district. “We want all families to succeed and we don’t want cost to be a barrier for that."

Funds from the Elementary and Secondary School Relief federal program are used in lieu of the fees.

Those funds come as part of the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

That money is limited to a couple of uses, and summer school is one of those uses, said Sabol.

“Because of everything that has happened with COVID, this is a great opportunity for those students who need that academic push over the summer,” he said.

Arlington’s summer school program typically has around 240 kids in it.

“I anticipate that we will see more attendance this year, in particular because credit advancement is being offered for free,” said Marilee Herman, who runs the summer school program and is an assistant principal at Arlington High School. “I think we’ll see more upperclassmen take advantage of it this year as well."

The program runs from June 21 to July 16.

“It is a four-week program. For any kid that is getting credit retrieval they are required to be on campus daily,” said Herman. “They can take up to two classes in summer school, each one being a half of a credit."

Although the program has had snacks in the past, this is the first year that food service will be offered, said Herman.

“We run it out of Weston High School because it’s a much smaller campus and it’s easier to have support readily in place,” she said.

In addition to summer school, the Arlington School District has planned a number of programs to help students, especially for those who need additional support due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A literary camp will be held at Pioneer Elementary and an ELL STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) camp for elementary students will also be held June 14 to 18.

The district’s Books on the Bus and Mathmobile program will also be out again this summer to encourage summer reading and working on math skills during the break.

A transition program meant to help those moving from eighth grade to ninth grade is also being made available for the summer.

Sabol said the transition from middle school to high school is a major one for students and something the district is always trying to support.

The program is meant to get students better connected with their new school.

More updates about the Arlington School District’s programs can be found at their website at asd.wednet.edu.