A few months ago, the administration made the decision that there will be no summer school this year. The decision regarding this situation took place before the announcement of Riordan going coed and the coronavirus pandemic.

Principal Tim Reardon stated the reason, saying, “We have only eliminated one element of summer school–high school repair classes.”

Since this interview, notification went out that Camp Crusader has also been canceled.

Reardon said, “We eliminated high school repair classes because they are far more expensive than CCSF and BYU (online) repair courses.”

Many consider summer school to be an important resource that has helped a large number of students repair grades and pass their classes, and wonder why this decision was made.

There were many aspects that led to this decision, but foremost among them was cost.

Reardon added, “Mr. (Michael) O’Brien and I consulted with counseling.  As soon as we found more affordable options, we made the decision.”

Freshman Counselor Vanessa Vincent said, “The biggest challenge is students won’t be able to attend summer school based on the curriculum of the class they struggled in and also have the ease of the logistics of being able to take summer school at Riordan.”

She added, “I think it can sometimes be easier for students to work on repairing a class in an actual classroom as there is a structure in place as to when the class begins and ends.  Students have the option to repair classes online, but they have to create their own schedule to do so, and have the self-motivation to complete the course in their own time.”

Even though there is no summer school, there are still options for students required to take summer school to learn and pass the classes they failed before being able to move forward.

Vincent said,  “Given the state of the city at this time, with the spread of COVID-19, the best options are to repair online.  There are many options with UC approved courses that will qualify to repair classes from Riordan that students received a D or an F (I) in.  It’s very important for students to speak with their counselor before they sign up for an online class as not all classes available qualify for repairing a grade.”

Students and parents are concerned that this will affect those who are required to take summer school, and ruin their chances of a four-year college.

Caton Daval-Santos ‘22 stated, “In my opinion it would be best to start taking the steps to create a proper schedule and a proper environment for studying during this distance learning to prepare students who are going into online summer classes so that they can be ready and have an easy transition.”

Vincent said, “Initially, I was worried about students not following-through with repairing online or off campus through SFUSD or another district or school, but after doing research and discussions with the counseling department and administration, there are many UC approved options available that are at a reduced cost compared to what the financial cost of summer school was at Riordan which is a huge benefit.  Also, students are able to create their own schedule of completing the course.”

One of many concerns that pertained to this situation was if there was going to be any financial repercussions.

Principal Reardon said, “We will be rebuilding the summer programs with a new model beginning in the summer of 2021. There are no financial repercussions.”

Another important question is, whether this will be a long-term or short-term situation.

Reardon stated, “We’ll see how it goes.”