All schools intend to start the year in Plan B. Students who are not able to return to in-person or are interested in an alternative to in-person instruction can apply for WCPSS Virtual Academy. 

The district may switch to a different plan -- Plan A (everyone attends school on campus) or Plan C (everyone attends school online) if state and local officials make that recommendation based on health data. 

Group assignments will be first developed to place siblings who live in the same household in the same groups and organized by bus transportation patterns. After that, schools will complete the group assignments with the remaining students assigned to their school. One of the factors schools will be considering is the academic needs of their students.  Due to the complexity of developing group assignments, requests cannot be honored.

Students who live in the same household are identified in our student information system as siblings and will be assigned to the same group. Contact the data manager at your child's school if there are siblings living at different addresses, or if there are students in a blended family at the same address.

The experience of online instruction will be much different from the experience in the Spring. Students will be taught rigorous content every day that aligns with North Carolina’s grade-level standards. Families should reach out to their child’s school to get support with improving their child’s readiness for online learning.

It is expected that students wear face coverings throughout the day, unless they are eating or drinking.

Parents and students can expect that students will have some learning experiences for which they will need to be in attendance and attentive during specific hours of the day. However, students will also have some flexibility to work at their own pace and schedule over the course of the day depending on family needs. Consistent daily schedules will include online instruction that will be a combination of live and recorded sessions.

During instructional time, there will be opportunities to learn individually, in small groups, and in large groups using both print and digital materials. Social and emotional wellness will be taken into consideration in scheduling. Our intent is to align the online instruction experience of students who are participating in Plan B with the Virtual Academy student experience.

Each student will need a technology device for learning. Technology Services and the schools will be surveying families to determine need. Please be sure to let WCPSS know if your student needs a device and/or hotspot.

This will be the decision of your child’s principal, based on staffing and other considerations.

Class sizes will often be approximately one-third the normal size when students are on campus. The larger goal, however, is to meet social distancing guidelines. With fewer students on campus, teachers will have more room to space students apart regardless of the class size.

This will depend on the grade, subject and staffing. Teams of teachers will work collaboratively to ensure that subjects and activities are covered both in the classroom and virtually.

All students in WCPSS may enroll in the Virtual Academy, including students with IEPs. Please review information on Virtual Academy website to determine if this a a good choice for your student. If questions or concerns arise regarding the implementation of the IEP, an IEP team may convene to discuss goal implementation in the virtual learning environment. 

Yes, families should still enroll in the WCPSS Virtual Academy to maintain continuity of a fully online learning environment regardless of any decisions made by the state to move into Plan A or B throughout the school year. 

We have no way of predicting when the state may need to make decisions regarding when school districts are operating under Plans A, B, or C due to safety concerns. The WCPSS Virtual Academy provides families with the continuity of a fully online learning environment.

Students enrolled for the Fall only will have the option to apply to continue in the WCPSS Virtual Academy in the Spring.  The application window will be in late October or early November. Students enrolled for the Fall will be granted priority to continue in the Spring. Seats for new applicants are not guaranteed in the Spring.

Students will remain enrolled in their current school as assigned by WCPSS Office of Student Assignment.  Choosing to enroll in the WCPSS Virtual Academy will not change the current school assignment at any time because the program functions within the currently assigned school.

Students who choose fully online instruction for the entire year may request to return to their classroom setting at the start of the spring semester.  But we cannot currently provide a guarantee that a student who wants to return to the state-directed Plan A or B in the second semester will be able to do so because that decision is based on availability of class/course space at their currently assigned school. The recommendation is that students enrolled in the WCPSS Virtual Academy remain for the entire school year.

Students who enroll in the WCPSS Virtual Academy for the fall semester only must remain in the academy for the duration of the fall semester.

The WCPSS Virtual Academy calendar will align with each school’s calendar: 

• For traditional calendar schools, the WCPSS Virtual Academy program students will be on traditional calendar.
• For year round calendar schools, the WCPSS Virtual Academy program students will be on the Single Track 4 calendar.
• For modified calendar schools, the WCPSS Virtual Academy program students will be on the modified calendar.

Parents and students can expect that students will have some learning experiences for which they will need to be in attendance and attentive during specific hours of the day.  Students and families should expect instruction to happen Monday through Friday.  Students will receive approximately 5-6 hours of instruction and/or instructional activities per day, with at least 2.5 hours of live instruction per day. Times may increase beyond the baseline based on teacher planning.

Students will also have flexibility to work at their own pace and schedule over the course of the day depending on family needs. Consistent daily schedules will include online instruction that will be a combination of live and recorded sessions. In addition there will be device-free breaks and flexible times for students to meet virtually in smaller groups built into the schedule. Social and emotional wellness will be taken into consideration in scheduling. Our intent is to align the Virtual Academy student experience with the online instruction experience of students who are participating in Plan B.

Because course offerings for the Virtual Academy will be built based on the needs of students who enroll (what courses they have registered for) and the availability of teachers, it is difficult to definitively identify exactly which specific courses will be available at this point.  Simply put, the more students who enroll, the larger and more expansive the list of courses will become.  The intent will be to make every effort to ensure that there is a baseline menu of both core and elective course offerings across multiple content areas. 

We anticipate that many, if not all, will be, depending upon the level of interest and staffing. In some cases, students will have access to these courses offered by teachers from their own schools. In others, students might be grouped with students from one or more partner schools. More information will be forthcoming before school starts.

The amount of time a student will spend in front of a device will depend on the age of the student and which courses they are taking. There will be ample time for independent learning activities and breaks, including lunch and time for physical and other activities, built into the schedule.

Students will need varying levels of support in online instruction. Typically, younger students need closer supervision and assistance. This might come from a parent, guardian, grandparent, older sibling or other members of a child’s support system. We will work with families to ensure that they have the support they need for a successful experience.

There will be a combination of actual live sessions and recorded sessions. There also will be opportunities for independent practices and activities that are not completed using a device. These will be based on a number of factors, including subject area, age/grade level and more.

Through the Virtual Academy application form, parents can indicate whether their students need devices and access. We will be working to help meet those needs as we receive notification. 

Yes. Any specialized services (IEPs, LEP, ESL, 504, Intervention and AIG) will be implemented by staff at the student’s current school. This includes students participating virtually.

No.  The commitment to enroll in the Virtual Academy does not extend beyond the 2020-2021 school year. 

This will be the decision of your child’s principal, based on staffing and other considerations.

No. Students remain enrolled in their current school, including magnet schools, for the 2020-2021 school year. This also applies to a student attending on a transfer or calendar option.

It is not an option at this time.  Our Pre-K Programs operate under a number of external procedures and expectations.  At this time, all requirements and expectations cannot be met in this model.

Yes, students may participate in athletics and student activities that are available given social distancing guidelines.

For any student who does not choose to participate in WCPSS Virtual Academy, they will by default participate in instruction through the learning environment established by the district based on state guidance.

If families do not choose WCPSS Virtual Academy now, they can request to change their learning environment at the start of the spring semester. Spring semester enrollment will be based on availability and other factors as circumstances continue to evolve.