WV Connections Academy Closer to a Statewide K-12 Virtual School

The founding board for West Virginia Connections Academy has just received some good news in the process to open West Virginia Connections Academy, a high-quality, full-time virtual school option for grades K-12 across the state. The authorizer, West Virginia State Professional Charter School Board, has deemed that the program meets all of their requirements—a critical step forward to bringing more school choice options to students statewide.

“The board is delighted to have received this feedback from the State Authorizer and looks forward to working together as they continue to review the application for the school,” said Melissa Dykstra, West Virginia Connections Academy Board Chair.

Due to the pandemic, students everywhere found themselves learning online from home and many found that environment to be better suited to meet their academic, social and emotional needs—now these students are eager to have a permanent online school solution in our state. In fact, West Virginia Connections Academy has seen increased interest from parents wanting to learn more about a high-quality, full-time online school in West Virginia.

“To meet this need, our board chose to apply to open West Virginia Connections Academy for students in grades K-12,” said Dykstra. “West Virginia Connections Academy will provide students statewide with a full-time online school built specifically for the virtual environment.”

Students will have the continuous support of highly-skilled teachers and curriculum that focuses on both academics and social-emotional learning, while helping them gain the skills and confidence they need to thrive in a changing world.

Virtual school can be a great fit for a variety of students including those are ahead or behind their peers, may be struggling in the traditional school setting or want to learn at their own pace. Other families seek out online school to be more involved in their child’s education or because their student is experiencing health challenges or bullying —among other reasons.

“We chose to partner with Connections Academy for the proposed new school because of its 20 years of experience supporting students’ academic and emotional needs in a full-time online setting with a quality program families can trust. They have demonstrated success which has made them a leader in full time virtual education,” Dykstra said.

In the 2021-22 school year, there are 47 Connections Academy schools providing online learning to students in 30 states.

“Our board looks forward to the State Authorizers’ continued review of West Virginia Connections Academy’s application and the next steps of this exciting endeavor” Dykstra said.

Melissa Dykstra

Board Chair, West Virginia Connections Academy

Hedgesville, West Virginia