Camden to offer free summer school, no action taken on its president, and other takeaways from the school board meeting

Camden School Superintendent Katrina McCombs is hopeful that hundreds of public school students will take advantage of the opportunity to make up what they missed and get back on track for the next school year.

McCombs outlined plans Monday night for free summer school for all public school students in the city. She appealed to parents to sign up their children, from rising kindergartners to high schoolers, for classes and enrichment programs.

Camden has offered summer school for years to its traditional public school students, as well as those who attend charter and Renaissance schools in the city. Camden is the only district in the state with three types of schools.

» READ MORE: Camden’s free summer school is giving students reasons to feel ‘proud’

A credit recovery program offers high school students a chance to make up work in four core classes. Younger students attend enrichment and bridge programs.

Typically, about 1,000 students enroll in summer school. District officials say some students are still struggling to recover from learning losses stemming from the pandemic. Camden schools were among the last in the region to reopen for in-person learning after the shutdown.

» READ MORE: Camden administrators and students make a plea to sign up for summer school

“We all share the belief that every child serves a second chance,” McCombs told the gathering at the monthly School Advisory Board meeting Monday. “We know sometimes our students may slide back.”

Students fall behind academically for various reasons, including difficult home situations and personal challenges, experts say. Some miss first-period classes because they must first ready younger siblings for school.

They are often highly motivated in summer school, as they face the possibility of being held back if they don’t recoup the credits. The summer school environment is more relaxed, and classes are shorter, about an hour. The program also has strict rules: no more than three absences.

McCombs is hopeful that summer school would boost Camden’s graduation rates, among the lowest in the state. After a decline during the pandemic, the four-year rate for the 2022-23 school year was 64.7%, according to the latest state School Performance Report. The state average is 91%.

The programs begin July 8 and runs through Aug. 2.

Here are some other takeaways from the school advisory board meeting:

The district is launching its first-ever Multilingual Newcomer Program for high schoolers, McCombs said. It will run simultaneously with summer school, Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., she said.

McCombs said the program will target English as a Second Language learners who have newly arrived in the United States to assist with learning and speaking English and transitioning to a new school. Spanish is the primary language spoken at home for about 30% of Camden’s students.

The board meeting was the first since a jury returned a $1.6 million civil verdict against the district and board president Wasim Muhammad in a sexual abuse lawsuit filed by a former student.

The jury rejected claims that Muhammad sexually assaulted the plaintiff starting when he was her seventh-grade social studies teacher 30 years ago. But the jury did hold Muhammad and the district liable for counts including “willful misconduct” and negligence.

At the meeting, community activist Vida Neil asked the board to remove Muhammad.

» READ MORE: Wasim Muhammad sex abuse case verdict explained

“He’s still embarrassing us in the news media being called the president of the advisory board in the city of Camden,” she said. “When are you going to cut this man loose and vote him off?”

A board member can be removed after three unexcused absences. Muhammad has missed eight meetings.

Board Vice President N’Namdee Nelson cited the ongoing litigation in the case. The jury will return on June 17 to decide whether punitive damages should be awarded. Defense lawyers have said appeals are likely.

The century-old Eastside High School will graduate its final class on its current field on June 25. The school, built in 1929, will be demolished in spring 2025 and rebuilt on the same location on Federal Street in Camden.

While the $103 million construction project funded by the School Development Authority is underway, about 600 Eastside students will be housed at nearby Cramer Elementary, which was shuttered several years ago. Construction is expected to take about five years.

» READ MORE: Camden announces plans to replace century-old Eastside High, the only standalone traditional public high school left in the district

Former longtime board member Jose Delgado and several other speakers expressed concern to the board that the temporary Cramer location was inadequate. A health and physical education teacher said the gym was too small and could not accommodate all students. A mental health counselor said privacy partitions were lacking.

The district has said plans are underway to prepare the site to meet the needs of Eastside students.