by PAT RAIA, [email protected]
The Hernando School Board has voted to end the digital home learning option. The option was put into place last year when the COVID-19 pandemic forced young people out of classrooms and into home-based remote learning.
The decision to end the option was made on the recommendation of School Superintendent John Stratton. The vote took place during the Board’s April 13 meeting.
Last Spring, an Emergency Executive Order by Gov. Ron DeSantis provided funding that allowed Florida school districts to offer students a virtual or hybrid learning option. That funding order is slated to expire on April 26.
The Digital Home Learning option was made available last summer for students in Hernando County schools who wanted to remain enrolled in school, but who were concerned about virus exposure through in-person classroom learning. The option entailed students learning from home through live online lessons taught by their teachers from their school.
Stratton said that he made his recommendation to the Board on grounds that virtual learning is “not as effective or efficient as in-person learning.”
“We believe offering in-person learning or Hernando eSchool options is what best serves our students when it comes to providing the absolute best education we can,” he told the Board.
Parents who want their children to remain in a virtual learning setting for the upcoming school year may enroll them in Hernando eSchool, the district’s virtual school. Enrollment for that program is open from May 10 to July 19.
Visit https://ehernando.weebly.com/ to learn more about registration and enrollment.
Image by Steven Weirather from Pixabay
