LCPS Workload Petition Gains Thousands of Signatures

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The petition was made about a week ago on change.org by an LCPS student, who wrote that he has "never been this exhausted and stressed over school."

“Students and teachers are not meant to be on the computer all day like this,” says an LCPS staff member in the comment section of the petition. “Little content is sticking in the kids’ brains and teachers are burning out at alarming rates. Things need to be re-evaluated ASAP.”

LCPS has begun the 2020-2021 school year online, with the utilization of programs such as Schoology and Google Meet. The school district plans to begin a hybrid learning model for K-2 students on Oct. 27. However, parents can also opt for their students to continue school online.

With the PSATs coming up for LCPS students this week, some complain of balancing schoolwork with studying for the practice exams.

“I am experiencing the same problems with online school,” wrote one student in response to the petition. “I am sure a lot of other students are going through this too because on one hand I have the everyday classwork and homeworks and on the other hand I have the PSAT and the SAT stress.”

In an article for NBC Washington, Drew Wilder reported that an LCPS spokesman “did not have any comment.”

The school district has sent out a survey to students addressing the issue, the results of which will be released later this week. Some of the questions asked about the amount of time spent on homework, and what students suggest could be done differently.