‘I want a year back’. KY high schoolers could retake year lost to COVID-19 under bill.

High school students could reclaim a year lost to the COVID-19 pandemic under a bill introduced by the chair of the state Senate Education Committee.

Senate Bill 128, filed in the General Assembly by state Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, would let this year’s high school students, including seniors, retake or supplement their courses in 2021-2022.

Student athletes who take the option could get a fifth year of eligibility.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on school operations and student learning,” the bill says, any student enrolled in a Kentucky public or private high school during the 2020-2021 school year can ask to use the 2021-2022 school year as a supplemental school year to retake or supplement courses.

Many students in Kentucky have been learning remotely from home off and on -- or solely -- since the COVID pandemic began in March 2020.

Wise said he looks at the legislation as a bill of “opportunity” during the COVID pandemic. Students have lost a year of opportunities in learning and extra-curricular activities, mental health and relationships, he said.

Some lost out on marching in the band or participating in a show choir, he said.

He said parents tell him that their children in high school have struggled with grades or just aren’t the same as they were before the pandemic.

The bill would help students who didn’t perform well academically in 2020-2021 or just those who are saying, “I want a year back,” he said.

Students could use the extra year for career internships, he said.

Sarah Clark, a student at Lexington’s Henry Clay High School, said taking an extra year of high school isn’t ideal, “but we haven’t been in school for 11 months. “

“Virtual learning has allowed students to fall deeply behind on work, and this bill provides an opportunity for students to catch up on both the content and the experiences missed during this lost school year,” Clark said.

Students in the 12th grade could retake their courses but it wouldn’t count as an additional credit towards graduation unless the student failed the original course.

Requests from students would have to be in by June 15, 2021 and by June 30, a local board of education would determine whether the district would accept all or not except all requests. Decisions would not be made about individual students.

The legislation would ensure that students taking the extra year are not ineligible to participate in KHSAA activities.

But Wise said the current age limitations for student athletes would not change under the bill.

Wise has discussed the bill with Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason Glass and Kentucky High School Athletic Association Commissioner Julian Tackett.

Glass said he understands the desire to give students an opportunity to have key experiences they missed out on this school year.

“However, there are a few significant questions that would need to be considered – such as the impact on funding and athletic eligibility, “ said Glass. “There also could be unintended consequences on school performance metrics, such as graduation rates and GPA calculations. “

Tackett said he will continue to work with legislative and executive branch representatives, as well as the KHSAA Board of Control, to assure the concerns of schools and districts are factored into any approved legislation relative to high school sports.

Tackett said non-sports, education issues, should be at the forefront of the discussion about the bill and “not under-prioritized. “

One indication that some students are unsure about their immediate future is that submissions for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA form, are down 19 percent among Kentucky high school seniors, according to a news release from the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education.

This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 10:19 AM.