Kentucky Virtual Academy

"This has got to be the absolute worst experience I have ever encountered with a school. Communication is non existent. Parents are unable to properly track absences. You cannot view past semesters grades. It's like pulling teeth to get an answer from anybody and often, things are ignored until they send out a survey. If you indicate there are issues, someone will then follow up and say they will take it to the school administrator. It has been nothing but problem after problem. Coming back from winter break, my child's schedule was messed up for WEEKS. They kept telling me nothing would count against my child and that some students came back to no schedule at all. Because it is virtual, the teachers are at their homes. I have no issue with this. I do, however, take issue with teachers leaving their cameras off and mics muted while they ignore the students for the entire class period. Or teachers who spend time yelling at their own children/grandchildren/pets instead of focusing on and helping the students in their class. Kids are pretty much left on their own to figure out everything. There are also issues with their grading system and programs in some of the classes which automatically give students zeros or mark work incorrectly. This then leads teachers to have to go in and manually check everything and update the grades. Some of the teachers claim they are too busy and leave kids fretting about their grades for weeks. I have been given so many excuses - as have other parents. They say it's a new school and have to get the kinks worked out. While this may be the first year they are in Kentucky, this is not a brand new school. K12/Stride has been around a long time and should know how to function properly. They are actively harming students education! RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN away from this place. Edit to add: Asking someone to send a message via Facebook further adds to the negative experience with this school. Not everyone has Facebook or any social media for that matter. The only option for reaching out directly to anyone at the school is through emails - which are often ignored entirely or not replied to until a week or more later. These concerns have been "escalated" for months by myself and many other parents. There has been either little or no improvement on these issues, hence me leaving the review now. You have had time to make improvements and haven't done so. Teachers and staff continue to make excuses. Sadly, my review doesn't even cover all of the negative interactions experienced. I truly feel K12/Stride needs to discontinue this program next year and take the time to make sure things are properly implemented prior to opening again. Or at the very least, use the remainder of this school year and the summer to make sure teachers and staff are well equipped to handle running this school. I do feel virtual schools serve a need but this school is failing to fill that need in its current state."