LYNCHBURG, Va. – For many families, the new school year comes with cautious optimism.
Thousands of Lynchburg parents will send their kids back to the classroom this fall. However, others like Cindy Babb learned during the pandemic that online school is a better fit.
“I talked to them. I asked them, ‘What do you want to do?’” Babb says.
Her two kids will open their laptops Wednesday for Lynchburg City Schools’ new virtual academy.
“It wasn’t COVID related, it was a result of what we learned from COVID and what we can do,” she says.
Babb says she likes independence and having the family at home. In light of the uncertainty surrounding rising COVID-19 cases and masking rules, several will take the same route.
“Homeschool learning or virtual learning, we’re seeing a lot of people that are loving this option right now,” principal Joshua Boyd says.
Boyd will head up the virtual academy for kids K-12. Classes will be led by LCS teachers with core subjects in the morning and electives in the afternoon.
“I think we realized that virtual learning is maybe not the best fit for everyone, but for some, it’s an excellent option,” Boyd says.
Educators and counselors will meet daily with students one-on-one to make sure they stay on track.
“Something positive came out of something negative for so many kids,” Babb adds. “Mine were one of those.”
“Students who choose to apply for the Virtual Academy will be placed on a waiting list. We review each student and see what their best fit may be. Students who wish to unenroll in the program will have the opportunity to go back to their base school for in-person learning. If they would like to return to the Virtual Academy, they would have to re-apply and they would be placed on the waiting list.”- Joshua Boyd Principal LCS Virtual Academy.