Virtual school options discussed
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic six years ago, schools in Jackson County and across Kansas turned to “virtual learning” as a way to make sure their students received their classwork while schools were shuttered to prevent the spread of a potentially deadly virus.
After the first year of the pandemic, however, the Kansas State Department of Education required all schools with virtual learning programs to set up a “virtual school” program for students who continued to receive lessons while remaining at home. Schools resumed their focus on in-person learning as the pandemic lessened.
Many Kansas schools continued to run virtual school programs, though, and KSDE lists 68 Kansas school districts that have one or more virtual school programs, including Holton’s Fresh Start program. The Holton school district is currently in the process of developing its own virtual school program in collaboration with KSDE, Holton Superintendent Trevor Ashcraft said.
Some Jackson County students in the Holton and Royal Valley districts also participate in a virtual-school program through the Greenbush education service center, it was reported. But superintendents at all three Jackson County districts, including Jackson Heights, believe that even with a virtual school option, the traditional school setting remains the best environment for education.
“COVID-19 taught us a valuable lesson — kids need to be in school,” Jackson Heights Superintendent Jim Howard said. “For K-12 students, online learning should support, not replace, the school experience.”
Royal Valley Superintendent Aaric Davis agreed, noting that while virtual school “can be a good option for some students based on their specific needs,” the decision to put a student into a virtual school program “should be based upon what is best for each individual student.”
“Students thrive in the Royal Valley public school system, and we try to work with families to find the best learning environment that we have to meet their needs,” Davis added. “The Royal Valley virtual students are still Royal Valley students, and we coordinate with families to meet the needs of individual students.”
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