"Nico was an A student, breezed through everything, popular, involved in activities at school … with softball, with sailing," Anthony Imbimbo said.
Nico, who is Anthony Imbimbo's youngest child, was an eighth-grader when the pandemic hit. Anthony still remembers that day.
"March rolls around, 2020, an absolute pandemonium, panic in my family," Anthony said. "You know: Everyone thinks it's the end of the world."
As was true for thousands of students across San Diego, Nico's classes shifted to virtual learning.
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"If memory serves, school was out for a couple of months, and then went back to school part-time, and then, next year was completely remote," Imbimbo said.
Anthony said virtual learning severely impacted his son's academics.
The losses incurred during the pandemic were also reflected in nationwide test scores. Last year, the National Assessment of Educational Progress released the first batch of scores since the pandemic, revealing that, across the country, nearly 4 in 10 eighth-graders failed to grasp basic math concepts and reading scores dropped to 1992 levels.
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The San Diego County Office of Education told NBC 7 in a statement that, even before the pandemic, many students were struggling, which is why it is focusing on supporting them and addressing the barriers to student achievement.
"Our children are more than test scores, and school staff members aren't robots," the office of education said, in part. "We can't be successful without relationships and strong foundations, which is why schools are increasing mental health support as well as enriching programming at all grade levels."
Anthony said he's done everything to help Nico rebound academically, but that it has been a struggle.
"I've done everything from getting tutors for my child to trying to work with my child on their homework, to be able to work out priorities," Anthony said.
Finding tutors for Nico, who now attends San Diego High, has not been an easy task, he added.
"I think that, for me, I'm very concerned about my child's success, that it's a distraction for him to be able to be productive," Anthony said.
For a link to state data and to check the progress of your child's school, click here.
