New York is creating completely virtual schools

There are more than 1 public schools in New York, and now the Department of Education is set to add two more unusual schools. Instead of the usual schools located in buildings, these will be virtual educational cells with online learning. Pix11.

School Principal David Banks announced them at a City Council Education Committee hearing on Tuesday, May 10. Schools should reduce absenteeism and provide an alternative for children who do better outside of the traditional classroom environment.

While virtual schools are in the early stages of planning, that hasn't stopped some families from making their own plans.

“I think that's the right thing to do,” said Caliris Salas-Ramirez, an active member of the advocacy group Parents for Safe Schools. – During online learning after the start of the pandemic, it turned out that we have different students in this system. And there are families who are concerned about security measures in schools.”

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Brooklyn College professor David Bloomfield believes that online learning can be useful, but at the moment the plans are far from being realized. There is no word yet on how many children will be accommodated here and how grades will be given. Bloomfield noted that there is a lot of work to be done before the initiative leads to real online schools. Even if this is done, such institutions may not be accessible to a wide range of students.

“Probably, wealthy families will be among the lucky ones, where parents can stay at home or hire tutors. You will need a good internet connection to practice. I am afraid that this innovation will be available to wealthier families.”

The city has role models. Denver, Colorado is the largest metropolitan area with an active virtual school. Denver Online has been operating for 18 years. However, New York will have to work out many details, in particular, who and how will conduct the classes.

The United Federation of Teachers of New York released a brief statement on the matter: “We had initial talks,” one spokesperson said. “But so far there is nothing concrete.”