Northwest Arkansas parents weighing virtual school option for kids

BENTONVILLE -- Whitney Killebrew is one of many parents wrestling with the same question: Should I send my child back to school this fall?

Killebrew and her husband have three young children, only one of whom has reached school age. Audrey, 7, is going into the second grade at Osage Creek Elementary School.

The Bentonville School District, like other districts across the state, is offering students the choice of a traditional or a virtual school model in light of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.

Parents must commit to one option or the other for at least a semester. Bentonville wants its answers by Wednesday to have enough time to make appropriate staffing decisions for the school year that starts Aug. 13.

"I have no idea," Killebrew said when asked which option her family will choose.

Audrey would like to go back to school. Killebrew's husband prefers the virtual option.

A stay-at-home mom, Killebrew worries about sending her daughter to school amid a pandemic, but also has concerns about remote learning, particularly how she'll manage Audrey's education while caring for two younger children.

The Bentonville district has posted on its website answers to frequently asked questions about the reopening of schools, as well as a description of virtual school. Still, Killebrew wishes parents had a chance to "play with it" a bit before committing to the virtual model.

She recently contacted Superintendent Debbie Jones with some of her questions. Could she send Audrey to school in August, then switch to the virtual school if they decided they weren't comfortable with the situation?

The answer is no. The family's only option would be to pull Audrey out of school and register as home-schooled for the rest of the semester, Killebrew said.

"We're just weighing all the options, and honestly, probably won't make a decision until July 8," Bentonville's deadline, she said.

Other Northwest Arkansas school districts expect their families to decide this summer whether they want virtual or in-person education, with the understanding they're committing to one or the other for at least the first semester.

The Rogers School District wants parents to respond by Monday to a survey on the matter, but Superintendent Marlin Berry said if parents change their mind, they may switch later this summer when their school calls to confirm the choice.

The Fayetteville School District also has put out a survey and wants families to pick between virtual and traditional school by July 19.

Families in the Springdale district may choose not only full virtual or full traditional education delivery models, but a blended arrangement where a student may go to school two, three or four days a week, said Superintendent Jared Cleveland.

"We have students, teachers, administrators and community members trying to figure out how that will work, and we will have more information for you soon," Cleveland said in a video the district released last week.

Springdale hasn't set a deadline for families to choose their preferred option, but once they do, they'll be locked into it for the fall semester, said Communications Director Rick Schaeffer.

Opinions vary

State leaders have instructed school districts to have virtual education programs available for all students and to be able to pivot among the traditional and virtual options.

Jenine McMahon-Peace has a 12-year-old daughter, Lyndi, going into the seventh grade at Grimsley Junior High School in Centerton, part of the Bentonville School District. Neither Lyndi nor her mother are happy about it, but Lyndi is going to do virtual school this fall.

McMahon-Peace, who works for Mercy Hospital, said she's unwilling to put her daughter's health at greater risk with the number of covid-19 cases still piling up. Having to make the traditional-or-virtual decision several weeks before the school year starts is frustrating, she said.

"I want her to be able to go back, but I also need to keep her safe," she said. "Maybe in January, if things look better, we would look at returning her to school."

Many parents are comfortable sending their kids to school.

Amy DeMania has a son, Dominic, going into the 10th grade at Bentonville High School. Dominic intends to go back to school this fall, she said.

"I think that's where he needs to be to learn the best," DeMania said.

Dominic and his sister, who was a senior this past year, handled the transition to virtual learning fine during the last two months of the school year. But DeMania said she felt like they missed a lot from not being able to interact with their peers and their teachers.

Dominic will go to school with a face covering, she said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends face coverings be worn by staff and students -- particularly older students -- as feasible, and especially when physical distancing is difficult.

Amy Horn, a Rogers School Board member, has a daughter entering the fifth grade and a son entering seventh grade.

Horn trusts the district's leaders and the plans they have for reopening schools. She intends to send her kids to school. They need to be able to socialize with other kids, she said. Her daughter in particular misses the routine that goes with traditional school.

"We'll talk with them quite a bit about the importance of social distancing and then wearing a mask when you're in crowded areas and things like that," Horn said. "But I feel like it's the best thing for them to be at school."

The American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 67,000 pediatricians, has issued its recommendation that "all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school," according to the organization's website.

"The importance of in-person learning is well-documented, and there is already evidence of the negative impacts on children because of school closures in the spring of 2020," the organization's website states.

"Lengthy time away from school and associated interruption of supportive services often results in social isolation, making it difficult for schools to identify and address important learning deficits as well as child and adolescent physical or sexual abuse, substance use, depression, and suicidal ideation."

The organization further explains most evidence indicates children and adolescents are less likely to be symptomatic and less likely to have severe cases of covid-19. They also may be less likely to become infected and to spread infection, according to the organization.

The reality of virtual

Debbie Jones, Bentonville's superintendent, said the district surveyed parents about their experience with virtual learning during the two months schools were closed.

She guessed about 10% of parents would choose the virtual option, but stressed that's only a guess. Bentonville had an enrollment of 17,913 students as of May 1.

How much it will cost the district to provide virtual school will come down to efficiency, according to Janet Schwanhausser, Bentonville's chief financial officer and deputy superintendent.

"Personnel costs make up the bulk of our costs," Schwanhausser wrote in an email. "If we have 14 students enrolled in virtual school for fifth grade, for example, the per-student cost of the education will be double the cost if 28 students enrolled. We will not be able to calculate total costs of each model until we know how many students are enrolled in each model."

Jones said some parents have asked whether their children could do a blend of virtual and traditional school -- send them to school a few days a week and keep them home the rest of the time. The system is not set up to accommodate such an arrangement, she said.

"And parents, we want to be completely honest with them. Virtual is not for everyone," she said. "And if you elect for your kid to stay home and virtual school, you're taking on a big commitment. The younger they are, the more commitment you have to have."

Virtual school in the fall will be a bit different from what students experienced in the spring because they will be learning new material rather than reviewing old material. That means parents can expect to spend more time working with their kids on instruction, Jones said.

Districts are trying to educate their patrons about the virtual option, which comes at no charge to families who choose it.

Rogers students in grades 6-12 who choose virtual receive their instruction through an outsourced provider, Red Comet, which the district used last school year.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will get their lessons through a digital platform and follow the same curriculum as those attending the traditional school setting, according to the district's website.

"Students will be assigned a virtual teacher who will be responsible for supporting the students, providing feedback related to the students' work and assigning quarterly grades. Teachers will be accessible to their students for prescribed daily time slots for technical support and learning support," the website states.

Northwest Arkansas' largest school districts either have plans or are working on plans to include virtual students in extracurricular activities and athletics, at least for those in grades 6-12. Modifications may be necessary based on guidance from the Department of Health and the Arkansas Activities Association.

Arkansas has two open-enrollment, online charter schools: Arkansas Virtual Academy and Arkansas Connections Academy. Both are public and tuition-free and attract students from across the state.

Another option for parents is to home-school their children. State data show 21,959 students in Arkansas were home-schooled during the 2018-19 school year, the last year for which the data is available. That was an 8% increase from the previous year.

The home-schooling sector in Benton and Washington counties grew by 5.3%, from 4,009 students in 2017-18 to 4,221 in 2018-19. During the same period in the region, public-school enrollment grew 1.6%.

State law requires every child ages 5 through 17 be enrolled in a public or private school unless a child is home-schooled.

Parents who choose to home school are required to notify the superintendent of the school district in which they live. Meeting this annual requirement maintains legal home school status for the parents or guardians. Districts must submit a copy of each form to the state.