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ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO – Students and parents of the Special School District in St. Louis County voice their concerns after the board votes to phase out their full-day program.

“I learned a lot going to north tech. I learned more there as a full-day student than I did at my home school,” said Arissa Roberson, a junior.

Arissa Roberson is a student at North Technical High School, but she may be among some of the last full-time graduates as the board voted to move to a half-day program by the 2023 school year.

Students say they’re disappointed and worry about future students who will be stuck in their traditional schools for at least half of the day.

“I probably would have dropped out, to be honest. Public schools you have classes and you graduate and go on about your life. There’s no plan. Going to north tech full time, you have teachers that care about you and want you to have a plan,” said Roberson.

The board says the move is an effort to expand and enhance their Career Technical Education program but that would eliminate their academic classes which parents say makes them worried.

“They really weren’t getting even the basics like math and reading. To see where they are versus where they were when they went to their homeschools is a lot different,” said Roberson’s mother.

The board says that the 2021 school year will be the last year they will take applications to the full-time program.

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