Parents' Deadline For Forsyth School Choice Approaching

CUMMING, GA — Forsyth County families have until the end of the month to decide which learning environment they want their kids to have next semester.

Forsyth County Schools will again offer students and their families a choice of learning environments for the 2021-22 school year, asking them to consider the learning environment in which the student will be most successful. The choices will determine staffing for thousands of school employees and more than 51,400 student schedules, so it is critical that families are confident and certain in their decision. There will only be one chance, at the semester break in December/January, to make a change in a child’s learning environment for 2021-22.

Families were sent a survey on Monday to select the learning environment for their child for the next school year. For families with multiple children, each child will need their own survey filled out. If there is no response to the survey by Friday, April 30, the student's placement will default to learning in-person at school for 2021-22.

Elementary (K-5) Choices

1. In-person learning at school, or
2. Virtual learning at home

Notes:

• Virtual learning will be very similar to what students experienced this year, with at least 3-4 live, synchronous sessions each day when students will be required to log in and participate throughout each of those class periods.
• Students will have a dedicated virtual teacher, but the teacher may not be from your districted school. Additionally, if you elect to change to in-person learning at school at the end of 1st semester, there is a very high chance that your child’s teacher will change in January.
• Virtual learning is not an option for dual language immersion classes.

Middle and High School (6-12) Choices

1. In-person learning at school, or
2. Virtual learning at home in a live, synchronous environment, or
3. Virtual learning at home in a self-paced, asynchronous environment

Notes:

• If students choose the synchronous (or live) option, they will be required to log in to every class scheduled each day. During each class period, teachers will host a 20-30 minute live, interactive lesson with the remaining class time available for independent work or teacher assistance. Active participation and timely work completion are essential to remain in this option. This is not an option to select if a student cannot be online and actively participating throughout the school day.
• If students prefer to work in a self-paced environment, families may select the asynchronous program called Forsyth Virtual Academy - or FVA. The FVA program has been in existence for several years and serves as a good option for students who can plan and organize their time and work independently to meet deadlines. With this option, assignments are posted at the beginning of the week, and students must complete and submit all work by the end of the week. There are no required live sessions in this model. Communication between the teacher and student occurs through itslearning, the learning management system. This may not be the right option for you if your child has many questions that need to be answered quickly or if they like frequent, direct interaction with teachers and students.
• For both middle school and high school, it is important to note that Forsyth Schools is not able to offer all courses in the virtual format, which you may have experienced this year. Many of the Career Tech, Fine Arts, and AP Lab courses require that students be in a face-to-face environment to successfully master the curriculum and standards. Additionally, some courses, especially those that normally have a few students enrolled, may not have enough virtual students to form a class. If you select a virtual option, and one of your child’s classes is not offered in that format, your school will reach out to you to discuss options.

If a child is currently receiving special education services through an Individualized Education Program (or an IEP), the Georgia Department of Education has asked that the district schedules an IEP meeting with families to discuss the child’s placement, including the location and quality of services that the student needs in accordance with IDEA. Because of this, if families select a virtual option for the child, the child’s case manager will reach out to the family to schedule an IEP meeting to discuss the appropriateness of instruction through the digital platform.

"This is a big decision, and we will hold you to your commitment due to the amount of time and effort it takes to coordinate the master schedule and teaching assignments," the district said.
"Normally, our schools begin planning for the next year in February, and it takes several months to ensure every child has the correct schedule and class placement, especially in our high schools where they have over 2,000 students. In addition, our teachers need to know this spring if they are teaching in-person or virtual classes next year, so they have time to adequately prepare."