Here is the reality... for some students, being back at school full day without it being a guaranteed healthy and safe manner is not a good option. If you have health issues, if your parents or siblings have health issues, if you see your grandparents or other family members on a regular basis and they are elderly or have health issues, then you could put them at risk by possibly being exposed at school and taking the virus home with you. I can promise you that at school we will be doing everything we can to make things as safe as possible, but sadly there aren't any guarantees as soon as you are out and about in public and interacting with others (that is the case at school or the store, etc.). So, that is why the district wanted to provide every student and family with another choice that would allow you (and your families) to have a guaranteed safe option.
I believe that the students and families with health concerns were probably the people the district was primarily focused on as they were looking at developing online options, but I know that is not the only group that might benefit from this alternative. There is no doubt that for some students, structure and routine, consistency and predictability, flexibility in timing of day and one format of instruction would be a better option than the anticipated Hybrid opening that Worthington is anticipating. Let me clarify, I don't believe that the online learning option is the best alternative for everyone, there are some students that will struggle immensely without ever having any face-to-face contact with a teacher that they know. But it is an important place for students and families to really take a serious look at yourself and your comfort levels to determine if the online learning choice is something you should consider or not.
A few things you will likely want to know...
- It is a full semester commitment. So, if you decide now that you are going to use the online learning choice, you can't decide in October that you want to come back to Kilbourne. You'd have to finish out the semester online and then in January you could return to WKHS.
- Like College Credit Plus classes, the district is offering the online option to students free of charge, but if you don't pass your classes then you must repay the district $250 for each class not successfully completed. (As long as you pass all of your classes there is no fee to you.)
- You can technically blend some specialized classes (CC+ and fine art classes - music, visual arts and performing arts) by taking the online course option, but then coming to WKHS just for those select courses. However, please note that you would have to be able to provide your own transportation since you wouldn't be at WKHS for the whole day.
- AP and IB classes are NOT options for taking at WKHS while also doing the online school, but the online program does include AP classes.
- The grades will appear on your transcript as being a transfer credit, but the grades earned will still be calculated into your Worthington GPA.
- Students are still Worthington students and you are still allowed to participate in any sports, extracurricular clubs or activities, and other after-school functions.
I am pointing out several of these points because I know that many students and families read the intial draft that came out about the online program and several changes were released later, but if you missed those, then this might be information you want to know so that you can explore all of your options.
Selfishly, I hope that everyone is back at WKHS because I miss you and I miss seeing you in person even if it will be behind a mask. But, I also am not crazy and I know that for so many students this is an option that you really need to be considering. And yes, I am even thinking of some of my night-owls in saying that because learning at 7:30am has never been your srong suit ;-) but my biggest hope is that every student and family will make the best option for you.
The deadline to sign up for the online learning option is August 10th.
More information, including the Zoom links to the upcoming information meetings, are all featured on the district website at: https://www.worthington.k12.oh.us/Page/4288 Just scroll down and look for the Worthington Online Learning Academy portion of the page.
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