Westchester County has been hard-hit by the growing coronavirus pandemic as nine cases emerged within the weeks following Governor Cuomo’s declaration of emergency on March 7. Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Champ announced prolonged the closure of Pelham schools through May 15, and has put into place a distance learning plan for students K-12. This tentative closure has raised the question of whether or not we should have an extended school year. Many students feel resentment towards this idea, and under closer scrutiny an extended school year is not necessary.

Pelham’s middle and high schools have been using Google Classroom and Infinite Campus for years, and students are constantly using the tools in and out of a traditional classroom setting. Pelham’s distance learning plan is a continuation of students’ regular schedules, where they complete assignments and study through the Google system, while maintaining face-to-face interactions with and demonstrations by their teachers. Visual learning is a key element to a student’s success, but Google Classroom has provided teachers with the ability to upload videos of their lessons for their students to view at home. Additionally, virtual office hours for all teachers have been put in place through Google Hangouts, allowing students to ask questions as they would in a classroom setting. Open-book style assessments can be completed at student’s homes with use of programs such as Castle Learning. 

For elementary-aged children, at-home learning can be more difficult as they do not necessarily have the resources and skills required for technological learning. Teachers have been in communication with parents, supplying them with learning materials via email. Elementary teachers are in the process of beginning virtual learning with students through Google Hangouts. For those working in healthcare, the school board is assisting in finding childcare. 

The spread of coronavirus is clearly not exclusive to our area, or even our nation. As the globe is enduring these struggles along with Pelham, schooling is proceeding at a slower but similar pace worldwide. Governor Cuomo suspended the requirement of schools to be in session for a minimum of 180 days, indicating that there will be no legal need to extend the school year. According to Education Week’s latest update, New York is one of 50 states that have state-wide school closings. Of those, only 24 will be extending through the rest of the school year. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the U.S. is one of 181 nations with cases putting many students worldwide into the same boat. With the shift to distance learning, no one school, district, or state will be letting their students fall behind by not carrying on with public schooling through the summer. The College Board has already put in place 45 minutes online AP tests to replace the 2-3 hour at-school tests that are normally held. Colleges have already made the agreement to accept the scores of these online tests for credits as usual. Both the ACT and SAT tests have been rescheduled for later dates so that students out of ACT or SAT prep classes will not fall behind. 

Extending the school year is unnecessary. Students should be able to learn the material originally intended for them and be prepared for their final examinations and classes the following year by the planned date for school to end. The choice not to extend school will not leave any student disadvantaged.