D.C. Public Schools will offer a virtual summer school session in June, but some students could return to classrooms in August if the spread of the coronavirus continues to slow.

Online summer school for students in the city’s public school system, which educates about half of the District’s students, will take place June 22 to July 24, city officials said Friday.

The school system plans to offer 11,500 students an in-person summer program for two weeks in August, if city officials determine it is safe to do so. The program would be restricted to 10 people or fewer in a class at a time.

The program, Summer Bridge, would help students entering sixth and ninth grade transition to middle and high school. Rising third-graders would also be allowed to participate in the optional program to help students adjust to taking classes with more than one teacher.

An advisory group responsible for making recommendations to Mayor Muriel Bowser about reopening the city released an 80-page report Thursday that suggested restarting the city’s economy and public life in four phases. 

Bowser said the first phase of reopening could begin as early as May 29. The Summer Bridge program will only be offered in person if officials decide the city is prepared to enter the second phase of reopening. 

Significant changes were also made to other city-run summer programs, including camps and youth employment opportunities. 

The city will offer a “camp-at-home” experience to 3,240 children, said Delano Hunter, D.C.’s parks and recreation director, at a Friday press conference.  Some of the camp will include virtual activities and the city will provide families with supplies for camp activities, such as arts and crafts, Hunter said. 

If the city enters Phase 2 of reopening in August, in-person camp would be offered at 27 locations, with 10 or fewer campers at a time, Hunter said. 

Unique Morris-Hughes, director of the city’s Department of Employment Services, said 90 percent of the Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program will operate virtually. About 10,000 of the city’s youth are expected to begin internships through the program in June. 

D.C. Public Schools officials decided to end the current school year three weeks early and initially said students could potentially make up the time at the beginning of next school year. But DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said on Friday that the 2020-2021 school year will begin on August 31, as originally planned. 

Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn said many of the city’s public schools — both traditional and charter — are making plans to address the learning losses students are expected to experience because of prolonged school closures.

Kihn said schools are considering extending school days next academic year and holding school on Saturdays. The city is also considering having schools give students diagnostic tests at the beginning of next school year to understand their needs. 

“We assume that given the nature of the quick transition into learning at home, that some students will experience some learning loss over the course of this time,” Kihn said. “We do believe that students will need some additional time.”