Originally published on Eyewitness News on December 18, 2023
After the pandemic, some families have decided virtual schooling is what is best for their children.
Joaquin and his brother, Xavier, are in their second school year as students in the West Virginia Virtual Academy. They have a daily routine when it comes to school.
“We just get up in the morning and do our chores. Then we come back inside and do our connects all morning. Then the rest of the day we have time to do our homework,” fourth grade WVVA student Xavier Wise said. “If we need to go somewhere we can do our school in the truck.”
Just a few years ago, West Virginia didn’t have any charter schools. That changed in 2019 when the state legislature passed a law allowing them.
WVVA is a public charter school funded through federal funding, as well as state aid. How much state aid WVVA gets is based on how many students are enrolled. After two years, WVVA currently has more than 1,000 students kindergarten through 11th grade. The school has students in all 55 counties of West Virginia. It said it does not receive any portion of a county’s excess levy funding.
“I think a lot of families, they don’t want to go back to the same thing,” WVVA Head of School Doug Cipoletti said. “They enjoyed virtual education. Some families had great success, and they were looking for a choice. And so, West Virginia now has that option for families.”
Online charter schools aren’t the only option West Virginia students have when it comes to virtual education. Every county in the state is required to have a virtual learning program for at least sixth through 12th grade. The state offers virtual learning through the West Virginia School program. About 3,000 students are educated virtually full-time in West Virginia.
“About 1,550 are part of West Virginia Virtual School or at the local school district level,” West Virginia Deputy State Superintendent of Schools Sonya White said. “The others are enrolled in our two virtual charter schools.”
At Cabell County Schools, kindergarten through eighth grade students who learn virtually are taught by Cabell County teachers. Ninth through 12th grade virtual students in Cabell County learn through the state’s program.
“We see that a lot of families really value that education and the quality of education they get here,” Cabell County Schools Coordinator of Virtual Education Joe Thacker said.
The county has seen a steady number of students who choose virtual education since the pandemic.
“We started out back in 2021, and because of Covid we really exploded that first year,” Thacker said. “We saw the second year that the numbers did go down. And we’ve kind of had steady numbers these last two years.”
Whether a student wants to attend virtual school full-time or or just take one class online that their public school doesn’t offer, the choice is in the hands of the student.
“It’s an option we definitely saw an uptick of during Covid, and quite frankly, 30 years ago I was teaching virtual test prep courses after school to several satellite schools that way,” White said. “It is something we can consider. Again, we want to do what’s best for the students and give them the best possible learning experience they can have, whether it be virtual or brick and mortar.”
While virtual learning may be the right option for some students, officials say it may not work for every age.
“We don’t really recommend it for the younger kids, our kindergarten through fifth grade students because those students at that age they’re learning brand new skills and they need a teacher and they need a lot of intensive support to master those skills,” White said.
Thacker said virtual learning with younger students takes some commitment from parents or guardians, as well as the student.
“We do start out with students in kindergarten, first and second grade, and that takes a commitment from both the student and the parent,” Thacker said. “Because, we expect parents to be there making sure the students get on and if there are any issues as far as they need to get a book or those type things that the parent can immediately help them.”
While virtual learning is nothing new to West Virginia, numbers are proving it is gaining popularity and here to stay.
To learn more about West Virginia Virtual Academy, visit https://wvva.k12.com/.
