COVINGTON, Ky. — Of the many groups of people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, kids in school were dealt one of the toughest hands, with many students falling behind.

Keeping up with school work during a global pandemic was far from a walk in the park for kids at schools like Holmes High School.

“We know that students are not where they need to be at this time in the school year, and we know we have a lot of catch up to do. More importantly, we know students’ mental health has been challenged this past year,” said Stacie Strotman, director of community and family engagement for Covington Independent Public Schools.

Strotman students voiced concerns about being lonely during the day and not understanding the technology needed to stay on top of work, creating stress and anxiety.

Heading into summer, Covington Independent Public Schools wanted to face the issue head-on by expanding its summer program for kindergarten through 12th grade.

The district is adding a week of summer school, going from five to six weeks.

Instead of two teachers at each school, there will be four. And the district is increasing summer teacher pay from $24 an hour to $50 an hour.

“We think our teachers would do this work regardless. They love our students. They want to do what they can to help our students. But it was just a way for us to show our appreciation, because they’re giving up their summer as well,” Strotman said.

The summer program normally takes in about 500 students, but this summer the goal is 850.

It consists of six weeks focused on reading and math to get students back on track, and offers high school students the ability to recover credit they may have lost during the pandemic.

Strotman said the challenges of COVID-19 were even harder for kids in vulnerable communities.

“That lack of consistency of being in a school from day to day, students who live in poverty, they are missing out on a daily meal for breakfast and lunch. They miss out on daily interactions with positive adults in their lives, and they miss that consistency,” she said.

In the past, the district has seen students who attend the summer program 10 times or more experience summer growth in reading and math.

Stotman said the district anticipates this summer program will make it so most students are ready for the fall.

“We know that six weeks in the summer isn’t going to take care of nine months of the school year. But we do hope that we build some momentum so that teachers can continue that throughout the school year,” Strotman said.

In addition to math and reading, the program will provide mental health support and social-emotional learning. It will also provide physical activity and recreation.