Tri-Cities see surge in failing middle and high school students as COVID wreaks havoc on grades

More than 1,000 struggling middle and high school students in Richland are back in classrooms getting some extra help.

At least 20 percent of Richland’s nearly 4,300 high school students are failing a class, say district officials.

That’s twice the usual 10 percent that the Richland School District normally saw before the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns.

And it’s seeing the same problem in its middle schools.

But with the soaring COVID-19 infection rates in the Tri-Cities and Washington state, the reopening of middle and high schools for in-person classes for all students keeps getting delayed.

So, Richland school officials are trying something different — bringing in secondary school students who are struggling the most.

The Pasco and Kennewick school districts also are offering extra help for students who need it but haven’t gone as far as Richland.

Richland program

Each Richland middle school is aiming to bring in 75 students a day twice a week and high schools want 200 a day to come in for two-hour blocks of tutoring and counseling.

In all, they expect to help 1,500 to 2,000 students.

“We think we can do that safely because we’re doing it in the cohort fashion,” said Todd Baddley, Richland’s assistant superintendent for secondary schools. “They’re in one location, with the same (small) group, and one staff member, and that’s where they’re getting work and then they go out. They’re not mixing (with other students).”

The high schools have been providing help in morning sessions, while middle schools are bringing in students in the afternoon.

The program started at Richland High School, and as of last week all of the schools had opened to help tutor students.

Students can attend either a Monday and Wednesday session or a Tuesday and Thursday session.

The program also gives students better access to dependable internet service and a quiet place to study.

The district already brought back small groups of special education students and English language learners for in-person classes, and they believe they can handle the additional students, including tracking their health with temperature checks and symptoms.

Kennewick school officials also are allowing 75 students per school to be in-person if they need internet access. And they’re offering additional tutoring programs.

And the Pasco district offers similar in-person sessions for certain students.

“Students designated as homeless, students in language development programs and other students who are educationally at-risk have been receiving support services at our middle schools and high schools in small groups since early October,” said Shane Edinger, the district’s director of public affairs.

This story was originally published November 29, 2020 at 5:00 AM.