Alpena Public Schools students struggling with the pandemic-forced transition to online learning will get an extra hand, APS Assistant Superintendent of K-12 Curriculum Meaghan Gauthier recently told her school board’s Curriculum and Technology Committee.

That’s because the district opted into The Graduation Alliance’s Engage Michigan program, which will “reach our kids who are not successful at engaging at school right now during the pandemic, whether that be kids who aren’t attending (in-person classes) or kids who have course failures,” Gauthier said.

The program gives kids an academic coach to answer questions, connect them with resources, and develop a plan to successfully finish the school year.

Besides those actually infected, the most affected by the coronavirus has arguably been our students, for whom consistency is most important and to whom consistency has been frequently denied, whether because they’ve been forced to learn from home, because their parents’ work was impacted by government-mandated shutdowns, or because they’ve lost a loved one.

In short, students need all the help they can get, and this Engage Michigan program is welcome news.

Thanks to our APS leaders who brought this help to our students.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)