By Mallory Panuska

(June 24, 2021) Worcester County Public Schools officials believe the best place for students to learn is in-person, in the classrooms.

But in some circumstances — as the covid-19 pandemic spotlighted  — a virtual learning environment works better. That is why officials recently rolled out a digital program option for the 2021-22 school year and gave students the ability to opt in if they want to continue learning from home.

“We really believe that kids learn best face-to-face other than in some very, very unique circumstances,” said Denise Shorts, the chief academic officer for pre-K through eighth grade at Worcester County Schools.

Those circumstances, she added, include reasons ranging from family members’ inability to get vaccinated  for covid, to concerns over young students not getting the shot.

“People in the community still have health scares,”  she said. “There are a lot of legitimate reasons why people want to keep virtual with their kids.”

For students in kindergarten through fifth grade, the deadline to opt in to the new virtual program was June 17. Shorts and Annette Wallace, the chief operating and academic officer for grades nine through 12, said 19 students in those grades will participate.

The deadline for sixth through 12th grade students to opt in is June 30 and Wallace said 49 students had signed up so far.

The groups will use different methodologies, with elementary students engaged in a locally designed program, and secondary students in the Blended Virtual Program offered by the Eastern Shore of Maryland Educational Consortium through Apex Learning.

Overall, the number of students who opted in so far are a small percentage of the district’s total 7,000 students. Wallace said that may be a testament to the differences from the one offered during the pandemic.

She explained that the new program requires much more screen time. Before, students had a flexible schedule that allowed them to complete their lessons outside of the regular school day if necessary, and they were not required to be on screen all day.

“We really wanted to take a very equitable stance as far as access to the internet and support of parents at a time when we felt like parents shouldn’t have to choose between staying safe and returning to school,” Wallace said. “There was a very flexible attendance policy.”

For next year, the virtual classrooms will mirror real ones, with students required to be on screen learning during all school hours.

“With more people vaccinated, and the metrics low, the virtual program needs to be something parents select because they want a virtual program, not because they want to stay away from covid,” Wallace explained.

Several informational sessions were held to inform students and parents of the new program and Wallace said officials followed up with phone calls to those who expressed interest.

The students who opt to learn virtually next year will also be separated from their in-person classmates instead of on Zoom screens in the rooms.

Shorts said the lower grades will have two classrooms — one for students in kindergarten, first and second grades and one for students in third, fourth and fifth grades — and the district will hire two new teachers to lead them.

“We will advertise those positions,” she said. “It takes a creative skill set to be a virtual teacher. Some teachers really acquired a skill set for that and have done very well.”

New teachers will also be hired to instruct the older students, which Apex will take the reigns on.

To learn more about the 2021-22 virtual programs, visit WCPS’ website at worcesterk12.org.