LYNCHBURG, Va. – Every morning 11-year-old David Long jumps out of bed and hops on his computer.
David is one of the 160 students attending the Lynchburg City Schools Virtual Academy.
His mom Jennifer told us it came about during COVID-19.
“For our son, he’s able to take his tests on his own pace, and if he has to, he can take a break and come back to it. And really, he’s just soared,” Jennifer said.
But Wednesday, Jennifer got a call from the Virtual Academy principal, Josh Boyd - saying the school would be shutting down after this year.
She told us she’s not surprised after finding out the budget failed to include the Virtual Academy.
“But when you get that final call, honestly it just made me cry. Because all of these teachers, you just love them,” Jennifer said.
Superintendent Dr. Crystal Edwards said the Academy was funded through the C.A.R.E.S Act and that money has run dry.
“I really don’t want it to go away, but it was something we funded through C.A.R.E.S.. We knew at that time that that funding might run out and we’d be here at this point, and we’re here,” Edwards said.
Edwards said the more than 20 teachers at the school will be worked back into the system.
“This is our family. We want to make sure we place our family home first,” she said.
As for the students, they will either have to go back to their ‘base’ school in person or find another virtual option, which is what Jennifer and David are doing, even though they don’t want to.
“I just love this school, and I never want it to shut down,” David said.
Jennifer said she’s forever grateful for the teachers who helped her son find new ways to learn.
“We don’t see all the things teachers do for our kids, and I so appreciate that. It’s going to be a really rough last day of school,” she said.