Framingham Students Can Take Summer Classes For Free This Year

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The recent federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) stimulus package will allow Framingham Public Schools (FPS) to offer tuition-free classes this summer to students across all grade levels.

About $81 billion from ARP is being directed at schools across the nation to recover from closures during the pandemic. Districts in Massachusetts will split $1.8 billion in ARP funds.

In Framingham, elementary-age students this summer will be able to participate in athletics, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programs, Framingham Youth Theatre, the Outdoor Meetup Club and a summer book club, among others.

Middle school students will be able to sign up for a TV production class in conjunction with Access Framingham. There will also be credit recovery courses for middle and high school students who may have fallen behind since the beginning of the pandemic.

"We know that Out of School Time programs present a great and critical opportunity to get students the resources they need to succeed at school and beyond in the coming years,” said Community Resource Development Director Tiffany Lillie said in a news release. "We are excited that through the support and partnership of the school district we are able to provide this benefit at no cost to families in this trying time."

FPS will release more details about summer programs on April 30, including capacity limits and registration information.