Fayette’s virtual academy had ‘rocky start’ during pandemic, but will stay open in 2021-22

Created in 2020 when the coronavirus shut down in -person classes, Fayette County School’s Virtual Learning Academy will stay open in 2021-22.

After what Fayette school board member Stephanie Spires described recently as a “rocky start” because more students enrolled than anticipated last fall, the total expected enrollment of current students returning for 2021-22 is 638, with at least 239 in elementary and 399 in middle and high school.

Back in October, after the program was put together in a matter of months, some parents told the Herald-Leader that they were concerned about the quality of education their children were receiving at the Virtual Learning Academy.

But in testimonials now on the school’s website, parents call the Academy “a game changer,” curbing their children’s anxiety and helping them improve their academics.

“There was a rocky start but since then I’ve had so many families reach out to me and say this has really helped my child that has anxiety or stresses in the classroom, my child can work at their own pace,” Spires said in an interview Thursday.

“I think this is the beginning of things we can do,” she said.

A draft budget for the 2021-22 school year presented in January shows that the district anticipates spending $1.9 million on the Academy.

Fayette County Schools have returned to in-person learning, but district officials say there is a continued need for the school which has students in grades K-12 and uses a curriculum from the Florida Virtual School. Students receive daily instruction and interact with teachers on a set schedule.

District Senior Director of School Leadership Schuronda Morton said there was a need in Fayette County for a remote learning option “not just for COVID-19, but for the future.”

Spires said she appreciated the patience that families showed with VLA. She said it had been good for grandparents at higher risk of COVID-19 who weren’t comfortable with sending the grandchildren they were raising back into the classroom. She said some parents opted for the Academy because they couldn’t afford to take off work if their children were exposed to COVID and were quarantined at home.

The school’s counselor and high school administrative dean Steve Jenkins recently told school board members that students say that VLA, as it is called, is a fit for students who work, that it gives students extra time with their families and gives them flexibility in completing their school work.

Families say the Academy, which has office space in the district’s warehouse on Russell Cave Road, gives them an option between homeschooling and regular brick and mortar schools, he said.

School officials are working to start a PTA.

Fayette County has the only stand alone K-5 virtual school in Kentucky, Interim Program Director Jamie Burch told Fayette school board members at a recent meeting.

Daily attendance in online classes is required, as are participation and completion of daily assignments. The level of expectation and accountability resemble that of the traditional classroom, according to district officials, but instruction takes place online.

K-5 teachers ZOOM four times a week. Teachers have small group instruction and office hours.

Middle and high school students have one live virtual meeting per week, per subject area. They have one on one time with teachers. All classes are recorded for students who can’t participate in live ZOOM sessions. Students have the entire school year to complete assignments but teachers provide guidance in pacing the work. Students also engage in classes about social and emotional learning issues.

In a video on the school’s website, VLA students said they liked that their school work was self-paced and they weren’t rushed.

The demographics at the Academy mirror those of the school district.

In January, there were 782 students in grades K-12. The racial breakdown was 49 percent white, 30 percent black, nine percent Hispanic, and two percent Asian. Fifty-five percent qualify for free and reduced meals, three percent are English learners and nine percent were in special education, Burch said.

The school has several clubs that focus on everything from cooking to movie criticism.

Advanced Placement and elective classes are available. The courses are aligned with Kentucky standards and taught by certified teachers. Students have mentors.

Students also have the option to participate in sports at their assigned schools.

Students have opportunities to meet their VLA teachers face to face and to meet with them one-to-one online.

Twenty-seven VLA teachers or staff live in Lexington, 10 live outside of Lexington. Of those 27 VLA teachers who live in Lexington, nine were previously employed by the district and transferred to VLA. The remaining 18 are current employees of other district schools, receiving a “zero hour” supplement to work with students in VLA.