WS/Forsyth board approves closing Virtual Academy school code; students to move to Winston‑Salem Prep and Cook

The Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) Board of Education voted 5‑4 on Feb. 11 to close the district’s Virtual Academy school code and relocate virtual instruction into Winston‑Salem Preparatory Academy for grades 6‑12 and to phase elementary virtual programming into Cook Elementary over the next two school years.

The decision follows a public hearing in which parents, current Virtual Academy teachers and other community members urged the board to preserve the Virtual Academy as a separate school. “It will be imperative that our families are supported throughout this transition beyond just communication by telephone and email,” said Anne Proctor, assistant principal of instruction for the Virtual Academy, during public comment.

The vote comes after staff presentations that described the change as a cost‑saving and sustainability measure. Chris Weigert, chief human resources officer, told the board that combining the 6‑12 program into Winston‑Salem Prep would create efficiencies in course offerings and staffing: “If you were asking me for an updated number … we’d have about 138 middle school students and then 190 high school students, which would give us approximately 368 kids in virtual instruction.” He…