Parents, teachers and dozens of supporters press board to keep Virtual Academy as district reviews proposal to close school code

Dozens of parents, students and staff urged the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education on Jan. 14 to keep the district's Virtual Academy open after central-office staff recommended consolidating virtual instruction into existing brick-and-mortar schools.

The recommendation, presented by Chris Weigert, chief human resources officer, would phase the district’s standalone K–8 Virtual Academy into a 6–12 virtual program embedded at Winston-Salem Prep and consolidate other virtual offerings over two years. Weigert told the board the proposal was prompted by falling enrollment at elementary grades and the need to make staffing more sustainable. He said the proposal could reduce an estimated $950,000 in annual local costs, and that an initial staffing estimate includes saving approximately one instructional support position, an assistant principal supplement and about 6.5 teacher positions (estimates subject to final allotments and enrollment).

Why it matters: Supporters said the Virtual Academy is the only option that meets medical, safety and social-emotional needs for many students — including students with disabilities and those who experience bullying — and warned that moving the program would dismantle relationships and services built over five years.

What speakers said - LaJoy Wilson Moore, principal of the Virtual Academy, described the school as a “virtual, synchronous” program that serves students who need alternative placement for medical or social reasons and said staff had…