BALTIMORE — One Baltimore city council member wants to keep schools open five days a week throughout the summer.
Even when school's out for summer, many kids find themselves back in the classroom.
Whether it's to make up classes in summer school or take advantage of extra-curricular learning, summer programming offers many kids more than an education.
Councilman Zeke Cohen said city schools are a key part of the public safety ecosystem, that it's a sanctuary for many kids.
It’s why Cohen is disappointed that city schools will not be open on Fridays this summer.
Partner organizations also operate summer programming at school-based locations, therefore, those organizations also are limited to providing programming only four-days a week.
At a City Council Public Safety and Government Operations hearing on Wednesday, Chief of Baltimore City Schools John Davis said schools cut back Friday hours during the pandemic.
Cohen called the decision to keep the policy in place irresponsible, at a time when kids are being killed on the city's streets.
“For me, any decision that restricts the amount of time that our young people are safely in programming in groups like elevate, or any of the other summer collaboratives that we have, to me that represents an increase in likelihood that they will be in harms way,” Cohen said.
Cohen said administrators need to think more about prevention and not just the law enforcement response to student safety.
“You know and I know and everyone in this room knows that for some of our kids, school represents a sanctuary and a safe place to be, especially during the summer where we see a rise and a peak in violence. impacting our children,” Cohen said.
“We have to retain our best school leaders. We have to retain our school-based staff, and a few Fridays off has gone over well with them. So yes, we can take that back, but at the same time, I’m not going to promise we’re going to reverse the decision here,” Davis said.
Meanwhile, Mayor's Office of Children and Family Success Executive Director Dr. Deborah Brooks said they will meet with kids in high schools across the city next week to talk about what activities they like so the city can still provide safe spaces for children on Fridays and Saturdays.
Registration for Baltimore city school summer programs starts Monday, April 17.
