In 2020, we all woke up for the first day of school as usual, we went through our morning routine, but something was different. We were online taking classes via zoom .It went like this for most of the year before we returned to school the following year. However, for Virtual Academy students it was different – they continued school in an online format. Due to budget cuts last spring, the Virtual Academy was closed, with mixed emotions resulting.
Junior Ethan Knighten attended online school during the 2023-2024 school year. He broke his foot and his ankle and found it would be easier if he did Virtual Academy. “My mom brought up Virtual Academy and said it would be good to try while I heal. I was a little speculative at first but once I started classes I found how similar it was to online school in 2020,” Knighten said.
According to a statement from the Montgomery County Board of Education and Interim Superintendent sent out on May 24, “We have previously shared with County Council members, our employee bargaining unit associations and our community partners the difficult decisions that may be necessary to address the significant financial constraints our county is facing. Schools are fundamentally about people, and we understand the profound impact that this budget and potential reductions will have on our dedicated workforce, students and families.”
The budget was finalized on June 11 and the Virtual Academy Program was closed. A total of 2,747 students attended Virtual Academy including 1,349 elementary schoolers, 656 middle schoolers and 742 high schoolers. “Obviously, I was disappointed that the county chose to get rid of Virtual Academy. It was a really good tool for students who needed it and now that it is done, I’m sure that the vast majority of people that did attend Virtual Academy are going to have trouble learning and adjusting to going back inside a school every day and learning there,” Former Virtual Academy Director and current technology teacher Kevin O’Neill said.
Reasons why people opted to attend Virtual Academy may have included having a disability or not doing well in a social environment. Virtual Academy was a tool for those students to get the same level of education as everyone else. “I attended Virtual Academy because of my injury, I missed a lot of school because of it and I found it was easier to just be online so I wouldn’t have to miss school so much,” Knighten said.
People are still protesting the county’s decision to close the Virtual Academy. “The feedback I got from Virtual Academy was mostly positive and I think that the county should definitely bring it back,” O’Neill said.
