Cumberland Schools Will Help Students Catch-Up

The Cumberland County Schools have yet to return to school since Christmas because of weather, but school officials are working to help students respond.

Director of Schools Billy Stepp said having so much time off breaks the continuity of learning for students. Stepp said the district’s principals have been helping teachers work backwards from key testing dates to plan out the essential standards that students still need to learn.

“They’ve had a long time in between instructional days now so retention could possibly be an issue,” Stepp said. “So I know they’ll work with their faculties on reviewing the standards, reviewing where the students were and where they are now, and making those instructional adjustments.”

Stepp said getting back into the normal routine of school will be another challenge after such a long break. Stepp said there are concerns about falling behind in the spring semester but he is positive the teachers and administration will come up with a plan to catch back up.

“We always want to be proactive and have plans in place so that the students and everyone involved can be successful,” Stepp said. “So we always try to be proactive in our planning process to head off some of those issues.”

Stepp said school officials want students back in school in order to feed them and take care of them. Stepp said he hopes the break has allowed everyone to get recharged and ready to hit the ground running.

“We’ll get the students back into that routine, we’ll assess and do whatever we need to do to help everyone,” Stepp said.

Stepp said the county has had this many school days because of its varied terrain and tendency to stay icy with the many shaded areas there.

“We’re very careful about that,” Stepp said. “With school buses and teenage drivers we don’t want anyone having to travel on unsafe conditions.”