Make Sure Virtual Is What You Think It Is

Parents have weighed in on the BOE survey and now must carefully weigh their options.

The Mon County Board of Education received the results of a critical parent survey at its meeting on Tuesday evening. The results show that the community is torn about the options. Thirty-seven percent of parents want kids in schools five days each week, 36 percent want full-time remote learning, 21 percent support a blended learning option—and 7 percent plan to enroll their child in an option called “West Virginia virtual school.”

Parents considering this option should know that it’s nothing like what school looked like in the spring. So what is it?

What virtual school is not:

• The type of learning students did at home in the weeks after March 13 when the state shut down schools. It’s also not a full year of Arctic Academy–type instruction—that kind of instruction is referred to as remote learning. 
• The same thing as homeschool instruction.
• Learning in tandem with Mon County school instruction. 

What virtual school is:

• An educational contract through the state Department of Education facilitated by Mon County Schools that would allow children to attend school 100 percent online. 
• Educational materials prepared by teachers who do not necessarily teach in Mon County Schools and could come from outside entities secured by the state—like distance learning companies. 
• A commitment to complete an entire semester—18 weeks—before switching back to in-person instruction. 
• Freedom for students to proceed at their own pace. The concept requires students to be self-motivated.
• An option that allows families to alleviate the uncertainty of the upcoming school year by knowing exactly how their children will attend school through the entire semester. 
• Free, just like public school, and available to West Virginia public school students since legislation passed in 2017. 
• Open for registration beginning August 17.