Montgomery County Public Schools virtual academy families feel ‘unsupported’ by school district

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) – Several parents of Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) students who were enrolled in the district’s virtual learning program claim they’re not receiving adequate support from the school district.

The Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) started during the pandemic and was discontinued in June due to budget cuts. Families whose students were in MVA said they feel MCPS hasn’t done enough to support them or their students so far this school year.

MCPS spokesperson Liliana Lopez said a letter was sent out by Superintendent Thomas Taylor to MVA families over the summer, informing them about the Home and Hospital Teaching (HHT) program that is available for students who qualify during the first marking period.

One MCPS parent, Andrea Levy, said she and others ran into issues with that process.

“The counselors did not want to talk to them,” Levy said. “The counselors were not willing to submit the forms because they decided, the counselors decided, that these students didn’t have qualifications in HHT.”

Charmaine Parsad’s family encountered issues. Her son’s HHT application was denied, and he’s currently not enrolled in school.

“MCPS is just searching for reasons for denying the kids a virtual education so that they can force them back into school,” Parsad said. “They do not care what the consequences are.”

In Taylor’s letter to MVA parents, he mentions a new hybrid program they’ve proposed to begin in November. It’s expected to be more in-depth than HHT.

But some parents aren’t convinced the new program will be effective, or even happen at all.

“They’re talking about it a lot but,” Levy said. “Until we actually see it, and we see students actually being accepted into it, most of us don’t believe that it’s actually going to happen. Those that do believe it’s going to happen, we know even if it does happen, it’s not going to be anywhere near what the MVA was.”

Lopez said MCPS is open to hearing from MVA families. She encourages them to reach out with any concerns they have.

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