Raleigh County board approves one‑year pilot for elementary virtual program

The Raleigh County Schools board voted to approve a one‑year pilot of policy E.18, allowing the district to operate an elementary virtual program for the coming school year.

District staff described a structured schedule for the program. Miss Blankenship said the model would include daily live instruction and targeted small‑group work: "students would receive instruction four days a week... a 70 minute block for reading and then a 70 minute block for math," and teachers would deliver small‑group reading and math sessions alongside assigned science and social‑studies content.

Board members debated the proposal at length. Several trustees expressed concern about offering virtual instruction to kindergarten‑through‑second‑grade students, calling the approach "educationally unsound" for that age group. Others said a pilot would let the district collect local evidence before making a longer‑term commitment.

The motion approved by the board established the program as a one‑year trial with a required performance review at the end of the year. Trustees said the review would examine student assessment data and other measures of performance before deciding whether to continue or revise the policy.

Administrators said, if the pilot is approved, the district will begin advertising and begin enrollment procedures and that classrooms would be staffed by Raleigh County Schools teachers using district platforms for live lessons and assignments. The board will receive results and recommendations after the pilot year.