Santa Barbara County Grand Jury calls on schools to step up to compensate for student learning loss due to pandemic

A new Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report looks at learning loss in public schools due to remote learning prompted by the pandemic.

Ideas include things like smaller class sizes.

A new Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report takes a look at some of the impacts of the pandemic on education in the region. The report makes some recommendations on what school districts can do to help compensate for setbacks some students suffered due to remote learning.

Grand Jury officials say it will take a few years to fully assess the effects on the more than 42,000 students in the county K through 8th grade public schools during the in-person shutdown.

The report is recommending steps like smaller class sizes and more one-on-one instruction. It notes money for initiatives could be an issue, because federal and state COVID relief funding won’t continue indefinitely.

It also suggests that after going through the work of making the internet available to all students, it’s important to keep those resources available.

KCLU
By Lance Orozco
November 15, 2021