Vulnerable Fort Worth students are now able to apply for a virtual learning option
The Fort Worth school district approved a temporary virtual learning option for 2,000 medically vulnerable kindergarten through sixth grade students during a board meeting Tuesday.
The virtual learning option is intended for students who are unable to receive COVID-19 vaccinations and have a documented medical condition that prevents them from attending classes in person, deputy superintendent Karen Molinar said during the meeting.
Students will be taught synchronous for six hours per day by a teacher solely focused on virtual learning. Students will use their district-issued technology such as an iPad or Chromebook to access courses and will continue to learn the sequence being taught at in-person campuses, according to district staff reports.
The virtual academy will begin on Sept. 13 and go through the remainder of the fall semester.
There are a limited number of seats available for the option, with 320 sixth grade spots and 280 spots for each grade level below, according to staff reports.
Students will be selected through a lottery system and priority system based on four different characteristics.
Students with a verifiable medical condition that keeps them from attending in-person instruction have the highest priority, followed by students who live with a K-6 grade sibling with a verifiable medical condition. Students who live with a family member who has a verifiable medical condition have third priority and students who are not currently able to get vaccinated have fourth priority, Molinar said.
A different virtual option for seventh-12th grade students will be available on a case-by-case basis.
Applications will open Wednesday at noon and will close on Aug. 29 at midnight.
The approval of a virtual academy is a victory for some district parents.
The district previously had no virtual option for students following a return to on-campus learning, and many parents were concerned that in-person schooling without a mask mandate and a current COVID-19 surge would put their kids or families in danger. These parents lobbied the board throughout the summer.
The virtual option is not being provided through state funding. Instead, the district used Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief federal funds. District officials will monitor the outcome of the virtual option and the Texas Legislature’s actions regarding virtual learning as they plan for the spring semester, Molinar said.
The board expressed its support for the virtual option, and commended Molinar and her team for preparing the program.
“I am very grateful for your work on this,” board member Quinton Phillips said. “[You’re] providing an option that is so sorely needed.”
Parents can apply and find more information on the virtual option on the district website.
