Why was APE silent last night about ending Arlington's Virtual Learning Program?

[Anonymous]

APE has been against the VLP program since it began, saying it's a waste of money and that those kids are truants. Yet not a single one of them showed up at last night's meeting to express their support of the pause. Why the crickets now, APE, when what you wanted was up for a vote? I guess they knew they had it in the bag and it was better to be behind the scenes now, while VLP parents were begging the board not to pause the program.

[Anonymous]

You're upset that people didn't go to support ending the program? I'm confused.

[Anonymous]

It seems pretty clear the program was a failure and will be phased out. What more is there to say or do at this point?

[Anonymous]

I love how people are so desperate to hear APE's take on every issue. I think they had two speakers last night one spoke about the budget and the other on isolation times.

[Anonymous]

I'm not tracking - are you mad they didn't show up to support the pause or you wanted them to not support the pause or silence is violence or what here? Are you for or against the pause? This is a weird take.

[Anonymous]

the thing about the virtual program was that the data made clear it was an unmitigated disaster. Learning virtually (no matter how much some parents crow about how well their kids did) is not an appropriate way to learn for kids. It is a horrifically bad way to learn for students with disabilities and english learners, yet those populations made up a huge percentage of the virtual program. APS doesn't quite want to say this- but a significant portion of families were enrolling their kids in the virtual program to avoid truancy laws. Teens were expected to care for younger siblings or work other jobs while learning 'virtually.' They had to end it.
And yes, there is a tiny tiny percentage of kids who have health conditions that make attending in person school not feasible. For those kids, they are much better off with homebound instruction- a teacher who comes to their home and provides individualized tailored instruction taking into account their unique needs.
For those families that either have ill family members or anxiety-- if you really want to live off the grid, homeschool your kids.
For those families whose child struggles with school avoidance, and you thought virtual might help? You are doing your child a long term disservice. Get your child the mental help he needs- insist that the school help your child attend. Its a real problem, but keeping a kid home is not helping them overcome it or learn to manage their issues.

[Anonymous]

What would have been the point of gloating over the program’s failure? It doesn’t seem like there was much left to say.

[Anonymous]

Does that mean the online school to address high school overcrowding is off the table?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're upset that people didn't go to support ending the program? I'm confused.

There are clearly some anti-APE-ers who are just hell-bent on taking every possible opportunity to criticize anything APE does or does not do or say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the thing about the virtual program was that the data made clear it was an unmitigated disaster. Learning virtually (no matter how much some parents crow about how well their kids did) is not an appropriate way to learn for kids. It is a horrifically bad way to learn for students with disabilities and english learners, yet those populations made up a huge percentage of the virtual program. APS doesn't quite want to say this- but a significant portion of families were enrolling their kids in the virtual program to avoid truancy laws. Teens were expected to care for younger siblings or work other jobs while learning 'virtually.' They had to end it.
And yes, there is a tiny tiny percentage of kids who have health conditions that make attending in person school not feasible. For those kids, they are much better off with homebound instruction- a teacher who comes to their home and provides individualized tailored instruction taking into account their unique needs.
For those families that either have ill family members or anxiety-- if you really want to live off the grid, homeschool your kids.
For those families whose child struggles with school avoidance, and you thought virtual might help? You are doing your child a long term disservice. Get your child the mental help he needs- insist that the school help your child attend. Its a real problem, but keeping a kid home is not helping them overcome it or learn to manage their issues.

Thanks for sharing your parental and professional mental health expertise. Ever consider the possibility that the "mental help" parents are ALREADY seeking for their children might be recommending homeschooling or virtual programs? I don't know who you are, but I suspect you are not in any position of credibility or authority to judge that (temporary) virtual learning is a disservice to any particular child. You have no idea what parents of children with school avoidance are or are not doing to help their children. And just how do you know how many parents opted for VL to avoid truancy laws?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does that mean the online school to address high school overcrowding is off the table?

This is what I find incredible about the change in attitude about the VLP. People have objected to the idea of online learning for high schoolers for capacity solutions because virtual learning is so sub-par. But suddenly they're all in an uproar because they're not making permanent a virtual program that a relative handful of parents now say has been a lifesaver for their immuno-compromised, anxious, or bullied child. Either a virtual learning program is valuable and of acceptable quality or it isn't. And there are other virtual options, already funded and much more developed than APS'. It's like parents are now saying they want another option school: virtual. Should it be a blind lottery or a certain # of seats allocated per neighborhood school in the interest of equity?

[Anonymous]

APE truly lives rent-free in the heads of a lot of people in Arlington. APE has not actually achieved much of anything, as far as I can tell, but you wouldn't know it by how much attention a lot of people pay to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does that mean the online school to address high school overcrowding is off the table?

This is what I find incredible about the change in attitude about the VLP. People have objected to the idea of online learning for high schoolers for capacity solutions because virtual learning is so sub-par. But suddenly they're all in an uproar because they're not making permanent a virtual program that a relative handful of parents now say has been a lifesaver for their immuno-compromised, anxious, or bullied child. Either a virtual learning program is valuable and of acceptable quality or it isn't. And there are other virtual options, already funded and much more developed than APS'. It's like parents are now saying they want another option school: virtual. Should it be a blind lottery or a certain # of seats allocated per neighborhood school in the interest of equity?

+1 if students really need a virtual program for some reason, there is Virtual Virginia. It makes no sense for APS to invest in creating their own program. We have other budget priorities.

[Anonymous]

APE has got to be thinking this about all their DCUM fans:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does that mean the online school to address high school overcrowding is off the table?

This is what I find incredible about the change in attitude about the VLP. People have objected to the idea of online learning for high schoolers for capacity solutions because virtual learning is so sub-par. But suddenly they're all in an uproar because they're not making permanent a virtual program that a relative handful of parents now say has been a lifesaver for their immuno-compromised, anxious, or bullied child. Either a virtual learning program is valuable and of acceptable quality or it isn't. And there are other virtual options, already funded and much more developed than APS'. It's like parents are now saying they want another option school: virtual. Should it be a blind lottery or a certain # of seats allocated per neighborhood school in the interest of equity?

+1 if students really need a virtual program for some reason, there is Virtual Virginia. It makes no sense for APS to invest in creating their own program. We have other budget priorities.

PP - not to mention all the complaining about how awful distance learning was during the year of shutdown!