Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Virtual School Leadership BRAVE topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents say BRAVE virtual program suffers poor leadership, communication and school spirit after merger
Summary
Parents and community partners told the board that the Baltimore Revolutionary Academy of Virtual Education (BRAVE) is experiencing degraded leadership, weak communication, lack of follow-up after the merger of two virtual programs, and low school morale including the absence of a mascot or clear identity.
Two parents whose comments were submitted to the board on March 25 told Baltimore City Public Schools that BRAVE, the district's merged virtual program, is struggling with leadership, transparency, and community engagement.
Darlene Rogers, identified in the transcript as a parent of a BRAVE scholar, said the virtual program has experienced "declining ineffective leadership" and insufficient follow-up after the merger of two virtual programs. "Students, educators, and parents alike have been negatively impacted by the lack of positive community engagement, support, and constant developing issues that have been left unresolved," the submitted comment read.
A second emailed comment read on behalf of Carol Patterson, parent and community partner, said families reported a lack of basic communications on testing and operations and that the merged program still lacks a mascot and visible school pride nearly a year after the merger. "Families were promised the opportunity to vote on a mascot, but it never happened," the email said, adding that virtual-family engagement meetings have been run with participants muted and were followed with an instruction to email administration rather than producing resolutions.
Why it matters: Parents said the absence of clear communications and school identity lowers morale for students and families in an already challenging virtual-learning environment. Both comments asked the board to intervene and ensure leadership that prioritizes community engagement, transparency and collaboration.
Board response and context: The comments were submitted as email/public comment and read into the record; the transcript records no immediate district action or timeline in response to these submissions. The board acknowledged receipt and moved on to other agenda items.
Ending: The parents requested the board help bring about a leadership change or corrective steps so the BRAVE community receives regular communication, follow-up and a clear school identity.
