In the 2021-22 school year, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) created a fully virtual Quarantine School for SDP students who needed to quarantine at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The goal of Quarantine School was to support students who temporarily could not attend school in person so they did not fall behind their classmates. During Quarantine School, students were expected to complete asynchronous work provided by their regular, in-person classroom teachers (or school) and participate in synchronous lessons led by Quarantine School teachers.

This report summarizes 2021-22 Quarantine School attendance, describes what took place in the Quarantine School virtual classrooms, and examines feedback from students, parents, and teachers about their experiences with Quarantine School.

Key findings include:

• During the 2021-22 school year, over 4,400 unique students attended Quarantine School for at least one day while quarantining as a result of Covid-19.
• Students who attended Quarantine School stayed for three school days on average throughout the 2021-22 year.
• Observations revealed that Quarantine School can be a positive experience for students if class sizes are small and if teachers are active, encourage student interaction, and provide concrete visuals to help students follow along.
• Parents and guardians offered suggestions including:
  • Increasing communication with families and staff.
  • Providing different policies for students who are symptomatic and for those who are asymptomatic.
  • Virtually joining or finishing work from in-person school.
  • Limiting class sizes, improving teacher training, and aligning the curriculum to the District curriculum.