HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV/Office of Del. Wilt Press Release) — Delegate Tony Wilt (R-Broadway) filed legislation to establish a school remediation task force in Virginia on Wednesday.
The task force will be dedicated to ensuring Virginia students do not permanently fall behind in school due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent remote learning environments.
According to a press release from Delegate Wilt’s office, the task force calls for 22 members, which will include state education leaders, teachers, parents, legislators and other education officials and citizens.
“I’ve talked to numerous parents with students struggling in the current learning environment, even students that typically excel in school,” says Wilt in the press release. “While I know our teachers and school officials are trying to do the best they can in these challenging circumstances, the reality is the current situation is not ideal for most.”ADVERTISEMENT
The group will develop policy and funding recommendations to assist public school students impacted by school closures and remote learning environments to make sure students that may be struggling do not fall further behind.
“When we get back to relative normalcy, hopefully sooner rather than later, we cannot continue as if nothing ever happened. A significant population of our K-12 students will be in desperate need of remediation services and coursework — not to mention the behavioral and mental health component,” Wilt says.
The release says the bill is awaiting committee referral, but Wilt expects it to be taken up within the next two to three weeks.