Cancel Virtual Academy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

I thought I was clear- people should be free to screw up their own kids with virtual education. It's almost certainly better than implicitly encouraging people to homeschool. I think VA should continue. I just think it is silly, inequitable, and inefficient to administer virtual at a county level. Handle it at a state level so that kids in counties big and small have access to it.

What do you find so threatening about having a common virtual option for kids across the state? Worried your kids might have to interact with black kids from Baltimore? It'll be good for them. If we're lucky, they'll end up less like you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

I thought I was clear- people should be free to screw up their own kids with virtual education. It's almost certainly better than implicitly encouraging people to homeschool. I think VA should continue. I just think it is silly, inequitable, and inefficient to administer virtual at a county level. Handle it at a state level so that kids in counties big and small have access to it.

What do you find so threatening about having a common virtual option for kids across the state? Worried your kids might have to interact with black kids from Baltimore? It'll be good for them. If we're lucky, they'll end up less like you.

That doesn’t make much sense. MCPS eliminates VA doesn’t automatically mean the state will open a VA. Why are you so judgemental about kids and parents in VA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

I thought I was clear- people should be free to screw up their own kids with virtual education. It's almost certainly better than implicitly encouraging people to homeschool. I think VA should continue. I just think it is silly, inequitable, and inefficient to administer virtual at a county level. Handle it at a state level so that kids in counties big and small have access to it.

What do you find so threatening about having a common virtual option for kids across the state? Worried your kids might have to interact with black kids from Baltimore? It'll be good for them. If we're lucky, they'll end up less like you.

MCPS and Baltimore use completely different curriculums so your post makes no sense. The VA is based off the same curriculum as in person so kids can easily transfer in and out.

How are we messing up our kids education? They are doing the same curriculum for the same class hours as yours.

How is it inefficient, inequitable and silly to do it at the county level? We are county based.

Why don't you send your kids to school with kids in Baltimore? When my kids are in person they are in a low income/high minority schools so you are ranting at the wrong person. Why don't you send your kids to a school like that? Believe it or not, MCPS has plenty of those schools right here where the majority of kids are minorities.

And, if you look at the population in VA, there are a significant number of minorities in it. You are ranting about stuff you don't know to justify your poor choice of sending your kids in person and you feel guilty you cannot handle having your kids at home. Your kids NEED to be in person, but many of ours will thrive in either situation because as parents we support them.

Stop making everything about race and find a new attack. As, VA has tons of minorities and many of us go to high minority schools. Just because you don't, doesn't mean our kids don't either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

I thought I was clear- people should be free to screw up their own kids with virtual education. It's almost certainly better than implicitly encouraging people to homeschool. I think VA should continue. I just think it is silly, inequitable, and inefficient to administer virtual at a county level. Handle it at a state level so that kids in counties big and small have access to it.

What do you find so threatening about having a common virtual option for kids across the state? Worried your kids might have to interact with black kids from Baltimore? It'll be good for them. If we're lucky, they'll end up less like you.

That doesn’t make much sense. MCPS eliminates VA doesn’t automatically mean the state will open a VA. Why are you so judgemental about kids and parents in VA?

If MCPS got rid of VA, which they aren't, and lost those 3000 kids, they'd lose a huge amount of money. If VA went to the state level, MCPS would lose a huge amount of money. VA doesn't cost as much as in person so that funding that should go to VA for students is being used elsewhere would be lost and the in person kids would suffer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

I thought I was clear- people should be free to screw up their own kids with virtual education. It's almost certainly better than implicitly encouraging people to homeschool. I think VA should continue. I just think it is silly, inequitable, and inefficient to administer virtual at a county level. Handle it at a state level so that kids in counties big and small have access to it.

What do you find so threatening about having a common virtual option for kids across the state? Worried your kids might have to interact with black kids from Baltimore? It'll be good for them. If we're lucky, they'll end up less like you.

MCPS and Baltimore use completely different curriculums so your post makes no sense. The VA is based off the same curriculum as in person so kids can easily transfer in and out.

How are we messing up our kids education? They are doing the same curriculum for the same class hours as yours.

How is it inefficient, inequitable and silly to do it at the county level? We are county based.

Why don't you send your kids to school with kids in Baltimore? When my kids are in person they are in a low income/high minority schools so you are ranting at the wrong person. Why don't you send your kids to a school like that? Believe it or not, MCPS has plenty of those schools right here where the majority of kids are minorities.

And, if you look at the population in VA, there are a significant number of minorities in it. You are ranting about stuff you don't know to justify your poor choice of sending your kids in person and you feel guilty you cannot handle having your kids at home. Your kids NEED to be in person, but many of ours will thrive in either situation because as parents we support them.

Stop making everything about race and find a new attack. As, VA has tons of minorities and many of us go to high minority schools. Just because you don't, doesn't mean our kids don't either.

Why does it matter that different counties have different curriculums? This year was a transition year between virtual and in-person. I thought it made sense for districts to run their own virtual programs to try to make it easier to allow the kids to return after being vaccinated.

Next year, though, it makes sense to transition virtual to a sustainable, permanent program for parents that don't want their kids to have normal social interactions with others. There's little reason to think anyone continuing in virtual next year will come back to an in-person program. That's not to say they couldn't, but already teachers and students have to accomodate moves to school districts. An unexpected move from virtual back to an in-person program would just be like moving from one county to another, which kids/parents do all the time.

While Moco is big enough it could economically handle a permanent virtual program, the same cannot be said for smaller counties. If you look beyond your own situation, to what is best for students everywhere, it clearly makes sense to move virtual to a shared system administered by the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

I thought I was clear- people should be free to screw up their own kids with virtual education. It's almost certainly better than implicitly encouraging people to homeschool. I think VA should continue. I just think it is silly, inequitable, and inefficient to administer virtual at a county level. Handle it at a state level so that kids in counties big and small have access to it.

What do you find so threatening about having a common virtual option for kids across the state? Worried your kids might have to interact with black kids from Baltimore? It'll be good for them. If we're lucky, they'll end up less like you.

That doesn’t make much sense. MCPS eliminates VA doesn’t automatically mean the state will open a VA. Why are you so judgemental about kids and parents in VA?

If MCPS got rid of VA, which they aren't, and lost those 3000 kids, they'd lose a huge amount of money. If VA went to the state level, MCPS would lose a huge amount of money. VA doesn't cost as much as in person so that funding that should go to VA for students is being used elsewhere would be lost and the in person kids would suffer.

From a purely selfish perspective, you may be right. Perhaps it is better for MCPS to run virtual to avoid losing per pupil funding. But that doesn't make it right. There are plenty of other students in other districts that may want virtual. When you look across the state, it makes sense to turn it into a shared program for all students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

I thought I was clear- people should be free to screw up their own kids with virtual education. It's almost certainly better than implicitly encouraging people to homeschool. I think VA should continue. I just think it is silly, inequitable, and inefficient to administer virtual at a county level. Handle it at a state level so that kids in counties big and small have access to it.

What do you find so threatening about having a common virtual option for kids across the state? Worried your kids might have to interact with black kids from Baltimore? It'll be good for them. If we're lucky, they'll end up less like you.

That doesn’t make much sense. MCPS eliminates VA doesn’t automatically mean the state will open a VA. Why are you so judgemental about kids and parents in VA?

If MCPS got rid of VA, which they aren't, and lost those 3000 kids, they'd lose a huge amount of money. If VA went to the state level, MCPS would lose a huge amount of money. VA doesn't cost as much as in person so that funding that should go to VA for students is being used elsewhere would be lost and the in person kids would suffer.

From a purely selfish perspective, you may be right. Perhaps it is better for MCPS to run virtual to avoid losing per pupil funding. But that doesn't make it right. There are plenty of other students in other districts that may want virtual. When you look across the state, it makes sense to turn it into a shared program for all students.

We ARE talking about MCPS and not other districts. If those families want it, they can come to MCPS or lobby their own. many districts, including PG have VA's. It doesn't make sense except if the state took over the curriculums of every single county and made them the same. Enough with the equity non-sense. We are not responsible for every other child in the state or country. MCPS is responsible for MCPS students. There was a demand, and they met the demand. Its a good thing as many of us would have left MCPS to other options. We had zero intention of returning this school year.

If you want the covid-careful families to return, then make it more safe for us to return. The no social distancing, the lack of safety precautions, better HVAC systems, voluntary limited testing is a No for us. What are you doing beyond being a bully to get us to come back in person?

You need to look into what VA really is before you go off on tangents thinking you know. Our kids have the same curriculum and class hours. If anything, some things are better as we have access to teachers for support every day and much more. But, if you spent time researching it vs. ranting you'd know that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

I thought I was clear- people should be free to screw up their own kids with virtual education. It's almost certainly better than implicitly encouraging people to homeschool. I think VA should continue. I just think it is silly, inequitable, and inefficient to administer virtual at a county level. Handle it at a state level so that kids in counties big and small have access to it.

What do you find so threatening about having a common virtual option for kids across the state? Worried your kids might have to interact with black kids from Baltimore? It'll be good for them. If we're lucky, they'll end up less like you.

MCPS and Baltimore use completely different curriculums so your post makes no sense. The VA is based off the same curriculum as in person so kids can easily transfer in and out.

How are we messing up our kids education? They are doing the same curriculum for the same class hours as yours.

How is it inefficient, inequitable and silly to do it at the county level? We are county based.

Why don't you send your kids to school with kids in Baltimore? When my kids are in person they are in a low income/high minority schools so you are ranting at the wrong person. Why don't you send your kids to a school like that? Believe it or not, MCPS has plenty of those schools right here where the majority of kids are minorities.

And, if you look at the population in VA, there are a significant number of minorities in it. You are ranting about stuff you don't know to justify your poor choice of sending your kids in person and you feel guilty you cannot handle having your kids at home. Your kids NEED to be in person, but many of ours will thrive in either situation because as parents we support them.

Stop making everything about race and find a new attack. As, VA has tons of minorities and many of us go to high minority schools. Just because you don't, doesn't mean our kids don't either.

Why does it matter that different counties have different curriculums? This year was a transition year between virtual and in-person. I thought it made sense for districts to run their own virtual programs to try to make it easier to allow the kids to return after being vaccinated.

Next year, though, it makes sense to transition virtual to a sustainable, permanent program for parents that don't want their kids to have normal social interactions with others. There's little reason to think anyone continuing in virtual next year will come back to an in-person program. That's not to say they couldn't, but already teachers and students have to accomodate moves to school districts. An unexpected move from virtual back to an in-person program would just be like moving from one county to another, which kids/parents do all the time.

While Moco is big enough it could economically handle a permanent virtual program, the same cannot be said for smaller counties. If you look beyond your own situation, to what is best for students everywhere, it clearly makes sense to move virtual to a shared system administered by the state.

Are you really out of touch with reality? In person school isn't the only way kids socialize. You are completely missing why some of us are in virtual. For those of us concerned about covid, its not just about being vaccinated. Maybe you should listen to other parents concerns vs. pushing what you think are our concerns. Being vaccinated has nothing to do with our choice of returning or not.

There are many reasons to choose virtual, including covid. Kids are in it for all different reasons and you are so out of touch with other families and their needs, you'll never understand that.

We go by counties, not by state. So, advocating for it to go to the state level makes no sense. Our state education department does not run any educational programs. So, they'd have to outsource it to a private company, which is what some of the counties in MD do. You need to put more time into understanding all this before you go on your rants. Also, if the state opened it and had 10-20K students, that would be way to many and it would have to be broken down into smaller schools.

The real question is why are you so opposed to VA and other families having the choice. It makes ZERO impact on your family. ZERO.

How is it any different from MCPS opening up a new school? If anything, it is far cheaper than them building the facilities and having the staff and other costs associated with running a school building so its a win for everyone given how overcrowded our schools are. We get the benefit of a new school without all the high start up costs.

And, for the person ranting about Baltimore, Baltimore City offers a VA program. Google is your friend. https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/distance-learning

[Anonymous]

NP. The person who keeps arguing that the same curriculum and hours makes VA not sub-par education doesn't seem to have a good understanding of education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

Because they want to hog all of the county educational resources (and $$$) for their special, special in person kids.

Sorry, sister. Not happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been a consistent critic of the school closures, and the generally ridiculous COVID policies for school/preK/childcare, but I really don't understand the people that want to see virtual academy killed off. Yes, it is subpar education that bad for the development of kids, the alternative for some families would be homeschooling. And that would be even worse. VA is unfair to the kids stuck in it, but it isn't harming anyone else. Let them keep it.

The main thing is change, though, is that virtual school should be handled statewide, not in individual districts. Have MSDE set up the program for anyone in the state that wants to use it instead of going to a local school.

How is VA subpar? Are your kids in it? It’s nothing like last year and last year could have done more but parents screamed how hard it was.

We go by county so doing it statewide makes no sense. They have the numbers to justify it. Each county uses a different curriculum so state run is not logical.

How is it harming our kids? Where is your evidence?

The data from last year is awfully compelling. Sure, whatever changes they made might reduce the gap, but there's no plausible way to close it. And even if you could close the academic gap, you're still risking severe developmental harm by removing kids from normal social interactions. Anyone that knows homeschooled kids knows they don't generally do well transitioning to college.

Public education is guaranteed at a state level, not a county level. If we're going to provide public virtual education as an alternative to homeschooling, then we should make sure everyone in the state has that option. The best and most economical way to do that is to have the state provide that option to everyone. There are more counties in the state than MoCo to think about. There's no good reason to handle virtual at a local level. Part of the point of virtual is that it doesn't matter where you're physically located.

Do you not understand VA is very different from last year and your comments have nothing to do with VA? We go by county. You need the same curriculum so kids can switch between them. It is economical. It costs less than in person school and uses far less resources. Removing 3k students would be a huge hit to funding.

If you don’t want it for your kids fine, but why do you care if others of us choose it?

If those of us left if they did not offer it, MCPS would have lost a lot of funding which then would impact your kids.

How are our kids being academically harmed if they have the same number of class hours and same curriculum?

I thought I was clear- people should be free to screw up their own kids with virtual education. It's almost certainly better than implicitly encouraging people to homeschool. I think VA should continue. I just think it is silly, inequitable, and inefficient to administer virtual at a county level. Handle it at a state level so that kids in counties big and small have access to it.

What do you find so threatening about having a common virtual option for kids across the state? Worried your kids might have to interact with black kids from Baltimore? It'll be good for them. If we're lucky, they'll end up less like you.

MCPS and Baltimore use completely different curriculums so your post makes no sense. The VA is based off the same curriculum as in person so kids can easily transfer in and out.

How are we messing up our kids education? They are doing the same curriculum for the same class hours as yours.

How is it inefficient, inequitable and silly to do it at the county level? We are county based.

Why don't you send your kids to school with kids in Baltimore? When my kids are in person they are in a low income/high minority schools so you are ranting at the wrong person. Why don't you send your kids to a school like that? Believe it or not, MCPS has plenty of those schools right here where the majority of kids are minorities.

And, if you look at the population in VA, there are a significant number of minorities in it. You are ranting about stuff you don't know to justify your poor choice of sending your kids in person and you feel guilty you cannot handle having your kids at home. Your kids NEED to be in person, but many of ours will thrive in either situation because as parents we support them.

Stop making everything about race and find a new attack. As, VA has tons of minorities and many of us go to high minority schools. Just because you don't, doesn't mean our kids don't either.

Why does it matter that different counties have different curriculums? This year was a transition year between virtual and in-person. I thought it made sense for districts to run their own virtual programs to try to make it easier to allow the kids to return after being vaccinated.

Next year, though, it makes sense to transition virtual to a sustainable, permanent program for parents that don't want their kids to have normal social interactions with others. There's little reason to think anyone continuing in virtual next year will come back to an in-person program. That's not to say they couldn't, but already teachers and students have to accomodate moves to school districts. An unexpected move from virtual back to an in-person program would just be like moving from one county to another, which kids/parents do all the time.

While Moco is big enough it could economically handle a permanent virtual program, the same cannot be said for smaller counties. If you look beyond your own situation, to what is best for students everywhere, it clearly makes sense to move virtual to a shared system administered by the state.

It's not going to happen, but please, continue pompously pontificating about matters over which you have no control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. The person who keeps arguing that the same curriculum and hours makes VA not sub-par education doesn't seem to have a good understanding of education.

You don’t seem to have a good understanding of education or va.