Lynchburg School officials are defending a decision to add several early dismissal days at a time when students across all grade levels are struggling academically.
That’s superintendent Dr. Crystal Edwards, who says the most recent 90-day academic report shows that of students in 3rd through 5th grade, 56% were below grade level in math, while 43% were below grade level in reading. Edwards says COVID erased progress students had been making:
Edwards says that because of a worker shortage and increased absenteeism, teachers are filling in different roles and have little time for preparing lessons. As a result, Lynchburg schools will dismiss students two hours early on two Wednesdays in November, December, and January to give teachers more time to prepare.