CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Monday, a Texas House Committee in Austin heard from educators and mental health experts about how kids in the classroom have fared during the COVID-19 pandemic, including one Coastal Bend superintendent.
3News spoke Tuesday with educators and counselors in Corpus Christi about what they are seeing and what more the State can do to help out.
"We are seeing students that are socially and emotionally behind because our younger kids have not had the opportunity to ever have the school experience," said Kandace Fricke, counseling lead for the Corpus Christi Independent School District.
Fricke said she believes more needs to be done to help students who have had to deal with the disruption of their school and home life during the pandemic.
"I think one of the biggest things that would benefit us, to have more funding from the State for mental health resources and mental health programs, and have more access to mental health providers," Fricke said.
At Meadowbrook Elementary School, Thomas Hewett serves as a reading interventionist. He is helping to get young children caught up on their reading. He, too, believes the State can do more to help the students. His idea is to get those veteran teachers who quit teaching during the pandemic back in the classroom.
"I think there needs to be a concerted effort at the State level to make sure we attract those teachers and get them back into the field," Hewett said.
Dr. Latrisha Johnson is the principal of Meadowbrook Elementary School and said the district is offering extra tutoring opportunities for students -- everything from after-school tutoring to Saturday classes are offered.
"We are offering Saturday school sessions," Johnson said. "We are addressing needs. Basically offering a 9 a.m.-12 p.m. schedule."
Johnson said more than 100 students are actually showing up to those Saturday classes.
"Part of the plan is to ensure that they are provided with an opportunity to have extended instruction," Johnson said. "That instruction is an acceleration to try and close that achievement gap and try to fill the void academically for those children who are in need at this time."
Johnson believes all of this extra help will pay off and even get kids ready for this year's STAR testing.