Schools Nationwide Return to Virtual Education After Virus Outbreaks

GRAY, Tenn. - Nov. 17, 2020 - PRLog -- Just months after school districts reopened their doors to students, some have been forced to close again due to virus outbreaks. Regardless of the harrowing efforts put into place to prevent such drastic measures, schools are beginning to turn again to online education. The staggered schedules, reduced bus capacity, hybrid schooling, and mask requirements only kept schools from closing for a short time as many students are now told that they must attend classes in a fully virtual format—from home. Parents across the nation are scrambling to make this work.

In Troy, Michigan, all K–12 students are required to continue their education virtually since their superintendent, Dr. Richard Machesky, informed parents that the district continues to have "major staffing issues" as teachers are required to quarantine due to virus exposure (ClickonDetroit.com). Staying open is simply not an option. Less than a month after schools reopened in Henry County, Virginia, the Henry County School Board voted to return to all-virtual learning due to the amount of employees required to quarantine, as well as cases among staff and students (MartinsvilleBulletin.com). Roosevelt Elementary School in Janesville, Wisconsin, abruptly shifted to virtual instruction recently as a result of many staff members exposed to the virus (Channel3000.com).

Parents looking for more flexibility than the ever-changing public school options are turning to homeschooling. The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine publisher Gena Suarez confirms that many have turned to home education during the recent pandemic. "Our customer service team has been working tirelessly to provide support to families who have never homeschooled before but are interested in trying out this effective educational model," states Suarez. "Our curriculum company, SchoolhouseTeachers.com, has seen tremendous growth, and many of our new families are first-time homeschoolers."

SchoolhouseTeachers.com is unique in that all the courses are self-paced. Students are not required to sign in at a specific time during the day or forced to share their screen with others. Parents and students have access to over 450 courses that span across all subjects and grade levels. Recently, the company rolled out their new virtual School Boxes for students in grades K–12. Parents new to the homeschooling format have been raving about these boxes. Each virtual box includes everything needed for the school year, from core classes to options for electives. The best part is, regardless of family size, a subscription to SchoolhouseTeachers.com covers all children, even if they require use of several different School Boxes levels.  Parents appreciate the ease and flexibility that these new virtual School Boxes provide, while students have been able to enjoy a more relaxed approach to education. Anyone with further questions about the virtual School Boxes provided by SchoolhouseTeachers.com can take a look at their FAQ (https://schoolhouseteachers.com/browse-by-grade/elementary/5th-grade/5th-grade-curriculum-box/).

About The Old Schoolhouse®

The Old Schoolhouse® (www.theoldschoolhouse.com) is a privately held corporation that publishes the industry-leading homeschool education print magazine, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine (https://www.theoldschoolhouse.com/), as well as hundreds of books and planning support tools for homeschooling families. SchoolhouseTeachers.com, a division of The Old Schoolhouse®, supports over 9,000 member families with more than 450 courses for preschool through high school, as well as educational videos, World Book Online, transcripts, report cards, planning tools, and recordkeeping. Established in 2001, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine (https://www.theoldschoolhouse.com/) is focused on providing high-quality, encouraging, affordable solutions for homeschooling families.