Orginially published on Stillwater News Press on January 27, 2024
Gov. Kevin Stitt officially declared Jan. 21-27 as Oklahoma School Choice Week – a weeklong event that state, city and county leaders also celebrated nationwide.
More than 275 events and activities across Oklahoma, including school fairs in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, were held, and more than 26,000 events were independently planned nationwide to raise awareness about K-12 school choices of every type.
“Oklahoma’s growing school choice options, in all kinds of schools, give Oklahoma children access to a variety of educational opportunities,” said Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week, in a statement. “We are grateful to Gov. Stitt for issuing this proclamation and highlighting the importance of these opportunities.”
For Perry resident Shelly McNeil and her son, a ninth-grader at Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy, the option of school choice has made all the difference.
Aidan, 14, started school at Perry Public Schools but dealt with health issues and was constantly on antibiotics.
Shelly said she struggled to get Aidan’s kindergarten teacher on the same page with his health issues and a gluten and dairy free diet because of allergies.
In one instance, Aidan was left out of a party because he couldn’t eat the snacks provided and the teacher didn’t inform Shelly so she could bring him another snack.
“I just decided I was not going to put my little, innocent child back into a position where I had very little control over things,” Shelly said. “Most of (our reason for virtual school) was the benefit for his health.”
Eventually, Aidan grew out of some of his health issues, but by then, he was well-acclimated to virtual school and excelled academically.
“I love the flexibility, and I love the school choice of having (this) option,” Shelly said. “We can make the best choices for our children … we are the parents. We know exactly what is right for our child and what doesn’t work for them and how they learn and how they don’t learn.”
Shelly is a “Learning Coach,” someone at home who comes alongside the student for daily support. Although she is involved in her son’s school work, she knows she’s not alone.
“We have had nothing but top-notch teachers,” Shelly said. “(They are) very educated, very caring, very determined to help these children.”
Aidan is involved in a Lego club, writing club and football club. His favorite part of online school is not having to rush out the door early in the morning.
“(It’s) being comfortable in my own home,” Aidan said. “There’s a chat box that we can all (use) when we’re in class.”
OVCA Community Family Advisor Jennifer Schrock said parents choose OVCA for many reasons, including health reasons or previous bullying issues at public school.
Some are competitive athletes and are some are in the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and need a better environment. And some, like Aidan, simply thrive better in a virtual setting.
OVCA is an online, full-time public school for grades K-12. It offers honors and AP classes, dual enrollment, credit recovery courses and social events. The online school uses the virtual curriculum Newrow.
“Our No. 1 goal is to make sure we help students succeed,” Schrock said. “With that, we offer what we call ‘wrap-around support.’”
Schrock, who has been a community family advisor with OVCA since November 2021, is based in Stillwater. She works with families not only in Stillwater, but also in the Edmond area, as far north as the Kansas line and in Bartlesville and Salpulpa.
CFAs make the first phone call to the family, help them with needed supplies such as laptops and hotspots and assist in setting up student and learning coach accounts with OVCA.
“We’re wanting to help build relationships and give our students that sense of community and belonging,” Schrock said. “We want to make sure that they have that socialization and they still have those same opportunities that they would receive if they were (at an) in-person school.”
In addition, OVCA offers virtual events called “Weekly Social Sessions,” where students have game days or movie days. There are tutoring sessions one-on-one with a teacher and even a college and career readiness coordinator to help students with concurrent enrollment and visits to college campuses.
Schrock said that the family dynamic is different for each family with their home and work life situation and family size.
“We also try to give our students some of those same experiences that they would (have) in the traditional brick-and-mortar (school),” Schrock said.
That includes social clubs, student council, a high school prom, a middle school dance and an in-person and virtual high school graduation.
OVCA offers community outreach options such as volunteering at Oklahoma Special Olympics, picking up trash at parks and distributing homemade Valentine cards at local nursing homes.
In the beginning, Schrock had about 10 students in Stillwater, but attendance within the past year has more than doubled.
Within Payne County, there are about 30 families who attend OVCA. Once COVID-19 hit, student enrollment rose as more families became aware of OVCA as an option.
Shelly said countless families have told her they wish they could do virtual school.
“If you can take a different step for your child (or) do what you feel like is in the best interest of your family, then I would do it,” Shelly said. “Take the leap.”
To learn more about Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy, visit https://ovca.k12.com/.
