Starr’s Mill is introducing a new version of Saturday school due to an overwhelming number of failing grades.

“Beforehand, the program had been more disciplinary and focused on students who missed school for out-of-school suspension (OSS) or other behavioral reasons,” Principal Allen Leonard said. “Now it’s more of an academic reason, so we can give our students the opportunity [to pass their classes].”

All students with failing grades are eligible to come into the school on Saturdays and complete remedial work or missing work as designated by their teachers.

Teachers will send the administration a list of potential attendees each week. The administration will then contact students’ parents or guardians and give discuss the opportunity for their children to come in and redo assignments and complete missing work. 

The program will start on Nov. 14 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. It will also be offered on Nov. 21, Dec. 5, and Dec. 12. Students will meet in the cafeteria, the auditorium, and extra classrooms if space is needed to uphold social distancing guidelines.