COVID not affecting student failure rate locally

During a presentation to the school board on Monday night, Marquette Area Public School Principal Jonathan Young revealed a spike in students who are failing classes. Compared to the four-year average of 11.13%, this term has seen the number of pupils faltering in at least one period balloon to 17.26%. Young said the culprit was online learning.

Locally, the picture isn’t as bleak, but COVID-19 has still presented challenges. Houghton High School Principal Cole Klein says the failure rate is similar to past years, but students are playing catch up in many cases.

Hancock Public School District is looking to implement a new summer learning program that will help students, particularly those in middle and elementary schools, dig deeper into subject matter that has been difficult to teach remotely. Current plans would allow students from across the area to participate, regardless of where they attend.