AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A mother of an Austintown Middle School student has concerns over the STEM program in the district.

Whitney Fox, of Austintown, told First News that there are some major changes to the program this coming fall.

Currently, her daughter is enrolled in the STEM curriculum program, which is a program that requires an interview and an essay, and students must maintain certain grades.

According to Fox, her daughter has about 20 classmates in this program for the 6th grade. But starting in the fall, all students will be able to take a STEM elective class.

“It’s one class — it’s not going to involve her entire studies like it’s doing now. It’s not going to be her math and her science, it’s going to be an elective. It’s an exploratory class,” Fox said. “I don’t see how it’s expanding when it’s not her whole day, it’s going to be an hour.”

Bill Young, Austintown curriculum director, responded with the following statement:

In an effort to provide STEM education to more students, Austintown Schools is revamping and expanding the STEM programming at [Austintown Middle School] to include intensive hands-on STEM learning available to all students.