Considering Wake County's Virtual Academy and Plan B? We have answers to more than 30 questions

When it comes to a return to school in the fall, there's simply no good answer. For the upcoming school year, Wake County Public School System, the largest in the state, is planning to offer two options to families — a Virtual Academy where students would take all of their classes online and so-called Plan B. In Plan B, students will be split up into three groups. Each group will spend a week in school on their own, followed by two weeks of virtual learning.

The Virtual Academy will be a fully online option that is intended for students with health concerns that won't allow them to return to the school building, but is open to all students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The deadline is set for 5 p.m., July 20. The deadline is firm, according to Wake County.

Wake County answered that question in a tweet.

No. According to Wake County, students will remain assigned to their current school. Students will need to commit to at least a full semester of learning through the Virtual Academy. The school system recommends that families make at least a one-year commitment to the program.

No. Students attending a school on a transfer or calendar option also will not lose their spots.

Instruction and learning will be both live and recorded and will take place via a common online learning management system that will be accessible through the Virtual Academy platform.

Students will work in small and large groups and will have some opportunity to work at their own pace.

"Our intent is to align the Virtual Academy student experience with the online instruction experience of students who are participating in Plan B," according to Wake County.

Kids will learn the same material from certified teachers as their classmates who choose Plan B.

Course schedules, according to Wake County, will be based on "student need and availability." Right now, Wake County only is committing to offering K-8 core classes and all high school classes that are required for graduation.

What else will be offered is up in the air. "Final decisions on operational details for the Virtual Academy will be largely dependent on the number of students who enroll as well as the grade level and instruction needs of those students," according to Wake County.

"Simply put, the more students who enroll, the larger and more expansive the list of courses will become," the county says. "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."

Wake County teachers will be teaching in the Virtual Academy. Exactly who those teachers are depends on the numbers of students who choose the Virtual Academy and the number of teachers available, but Wake County hopes to assign students to teachers at their current school. If that's not possible, they will be grouped with students from different schools within the same region.

Students, however, will receive counseling and social emotional support from staff members within their current school.

The answer to this question varies widely, depending on the enrollment, the teachers available, the age of the student and the subject of each class.

For students in elementary school, "it's very likely at those levels that they would have a teacher from their school," said Wake County schools communication director Lisa Luten, but it's not guaranteed.

No. According to Wake County, the amount of computer time will depend on the child's age, but there will be time for learning activities on their own, breaks like lunch and time to get outside and play that will be part of the daily schedule.

"Attendance is required whether it's live or not," Luten said.

It depends on the child and their age. Younger children may need more hands-on support than older kids.

"We will work with families to ensure that they have the support they need for a successful experience," according to Wake County.

According to Wake County, the school day will be similar to a traditional daily school schedule.

This hasn't been determined, Luten said.

Not all electives will be offered, which means some students will need to adjust their schedules.

For families with children at immersion schools, Luten recommends checking in with your school's principal.

During a usual year and long before the pandemic, Luten said, students are not guaranteed enrollment in any AP class. "It's based on the availability of the class and the number of kids that request them," she said. In cases where there's a lot of competition for a particular class, such as AP Psychology, there may simply not be enough spots for all the students who are requesting the class.

"There's nothing in the Virtual Academy that makes that problem worse," she said. "There's probably an advantage in that there's more flexibility. You're not constrained by the physical space."

Another advantage, she said, is that Wake's school district is large. So there may be a better chance that, across the district or region, that there will be enough students to put together an AP class in a particular subject. At the same time, it's too early to tell what AP classes will be offered through the Virtual Academy as it depends on what students who sign up for it will need.

"The goal in any year is to build course offerings around the needs of the student," she said. "That is no different now."

Luten was working to share more specifics about IB diploma programs and specialized academies at the county's high schools. (If this is something you're concerned about, I would recommend checking with your child's school for answers.)

It will be offered virtually, said Luten, who noted that languages have been successfully taught online through a variety of platforms.

(My family had experience with virtual Spanish instruction at the elementary and high school levels in the spring through Wake County, and it was a success.)

Luten said Wake County is putting a big focus on the social-emotional needs of students who attend either the Virtual Academy or Plan B. "The social-emotional part is something everyone is attuned to," she said. "If students aren't prepared to learn, they can't learn."

In the Virtual Academy, there will be a concerted effort to create community, Luten said. What that looks like will depend on the age and needs of the students. At the younger level, one option is using social stories that walk through why people are wearing masks or why Grandma is getting sick to help students understand what is happening in the world around them through the lens of an individual student, she said.

Yes. Students will get the services they qualify for through the Virtual Academy.

The student will receive those services from staff at their physical school, according to Wake County. Services will be provided virtually.

Yes. Children in the Virtual Academy can continue to participate in any co-curricular or extracurricular activities, including sports, through their current school, according to Wake County.

Students won't be automatically provided with a computer and wifi if they sign up for the program. But they can indicate they need help on the Virtual Academy application form.

"We will be working to help meet those needs as we receive notification," according to Wake County.

Wake County answered this question on its Twitter page.

Lots of kids and parents were frustrated in the spring because they had to constantly move back and forth between different websites and platforms. "There is an effort being made to streamline that process so that it's a better experience," Luten said for students in both the Virtual Academy and completing online learning through Plan B.

Students commit to being part of the Virtual Academy through the fall semester. They can return to their physical school in the spring "if space permits," according to Wake County.

Wake County would prefer it if you remained in the Virtual Academy for the entire year.

Maybe, but it will be up to your child's principal, who will make the decision based on staffing and other considerations, according to Wake County.

Not at the moment. "At this time, all requirements and expectations cannot be met in this model," according to Wake County.

No. Plan B is your default choice.

Students at each school will be split up into three groups. Each group will be part of a three-week school rotation that's comprised of one week of in-school instruction and two weeks of online instruction.

Each group will attend one day at their physical school during the first two weeks of school, according to the July 2 presentation to the school board. The rest of those two weeks will be devoted to virtual learning.

Yes. The school system expects attendance for both in-person and online instruction.

Expect at least five hours of live instruction per week. That's a minimum baseline across all schools, according to the July 14 presentation. The live instruction will be coupled with four hours per day of non-live instructional activities.

Students will get literacy and math instruction daily. Specials like music and art that typically take kids outside the classroom, will be scheduled to minimize movement within the school building, according to the July 14 presentation.

Middle school students will have access to electives and high school credit courses. High school students will be able to take honors and Advanced Placement courses, along with arts, CTE and other specialized electives, according to the July 14 presentation.

I know there are many more questions about both the Virtual Academy and Plan B. I plan to update this as we learn more.

According to the county, they will continue to learn with their teachers and cohort of peers.

No.