Burke Virtual Academy

Parent/Student Handbook

What is Burke Virtual Academy?

For the 2023-2024 school year, Burke Virtual Academy will serve students in 7th and 8th grade only. Burke Virtual Academy (BVA) is a virtual school of choice offering distance learning in the virtual setting to 7th-8th grade students in Burke County with courses taught by highly qualified, innovative, local educators.  BVA provides students full-time virtual schedules with a consistent curricular and instructional delivery model. Instructional delivery through Burke Virtual Academy contains both synchronous (teachers and students meeting live via Zoom) and asynchronous (students attending to tasks without live teacher interaction) methods offering a sense of flexibility for families whose schedules do not fit within the traditional school day. Burke Virtual students have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities (sports, clubs, etc.), and select elective courses (band, chorus, etc.) at their base schools, providing a well-rounded and engaging education.

Mission: Our mission is to provide flexibility and personalization to student learning that will prepare all students for productive citizenship.  Burke Virtual Academy will provide an innovative virtual learning experience that will ensure students are ready for college or career pathways, uniquely prepared with relevant life skills.

Beliefs:

• Student well-being should be the center of  decision making  
• Personalization of learning opportunities leads to high student achievement
• Time management is an essential life skill that must be purposefully developed in students
• Inspire academic virtual excellence in learning so all students will be college and career ready
• Courses will be engaging and interactive with rigorous standards-based content as well as a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities to meet the diverse educational needs of students
• Self-advocacy develops strong communication skills and prepares students to articulate specific needs paramount to meeting their life-long goals

Virtual Academy Contact Information

School Calendar

Burke Virtual Academy will follow the same calendar as the traditional schools in the Burke County Public School System including holiday and vacation days.

2023-2024 CALENDAR 

Vacation Days and Holidays

Burke Virtual students will not be expected to complete assignments on days designated as vacation days or holidays on the school calendar.

2-Hour & 3-Hour Delays

Burke Virtual students will follow all 2-hour and 3-hour delays as they are announced.

Successful Virtual Students

It is the goal of Burke Virtual Academy to ensure the success of all enrolled students. Successful virtual students demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Independent - Students are able to work independently or understand how to seek help in order to complete assignments
• Time management - Students can monitor their time to complete work without the defined routines provided in traditional public school settings
• Self-motivation - students must enjoy learning and be able to meet deadlines and find assistance independently when required.
• Engaged - Students actively participate in synchronous zoom sessions.

Student Eligibility Requirements:                      

• Students should have access to a BCPS Chromebook issued at the first parent-teacher conference
• Students should meet specified eligibility criteria
• Students will be required to follow a schedule established by their BVA teacher
• Students are expected to participate in class and interact with the teacher and other students.
• Parents/guardians of students must be able to maintain consistent contact with school administrators and teachers through email, telephone, computers and internet service.
• Middle School students are asked to commit to a full year in Burke Virtual Academy
• Attendance will be taken daily
• Parents and students will be asked to complete a Virtual Academy Parent & Student Agreement
• North Carolina Assessments will be conducted per state regulations and time frames
• Students must report to Heritage Middle School campus to take all state required assessments
• Pre and post-assessments along with mid-year formative assessments will be used to monitor student progress and can be completed from home

Click the links below for more information regarding the student eligibility requirements and the parent/student agreements:

Virtual Academy Student Eligibility Requirements

Virtual Academy Parent & Student Agreement

Family Commitments

Successful virtual students have the support of a responsible adult to participate and engage on a regular basis. Parents or another designated adult will serve as an At Home Learning Coach to support the educational needs and facilitate learning with their child.  The At Home Learning Coach has a larger, more active role with younger Virtual Academy students. All parents should monitor student progress and communicate with the teachers regularly to ensure student success.

Home Learning Coach 

Enrollment Information

Middle school students are enrolled in year-long courses and are expected to make a year-long commitment.

• BCPS enrollment documentation must be on file at the student’s base school
• Additional enrollment information can be found on the Burke County Public Schools website
• All BVA students must comply with BCPS policies.

Home School Students

Home school students are encouraged to enroll in the Burke Virtual Academy. Students will need to enroll with their base school located in the BCPS district in which the family resides. Per BCPS Board Policy 4160, middle homeschool students will need to register their child at least part-time or two virtual classes.  

Students with Disabilities and 504 Plans

Students with disabilities and students who have 504 plans are required to meet the eligibility criteria to enroll at BVA. The Extended Course standards are not taught in the virtual setting.  Upon entering the online academy, parents will have to have an IEP meeting to address this new student setting.

Extracurricular Activities and Athletics

Students enrolled in BVA are eligible for athletics and other extracurricular activities like band. Students will participate in band and athletics at the base school that serves their domiciled area unless they have previously received a board-approved transfer.

Instruction

Middle School students will attend live zoom meetings daily. Schedules will be provided during the beginning of year parent conferences.

Student Attendance 7th & 8th

Attendance is a critical factor in student academic success. Students are required to participate in daily live zoom sessions provided by the teacher at the designated times in order to be counted as present for the day. Student attendance will be taken daily for our elementary and middle school students.

If a live zoom is not scheduled, students will complete a daily attendance Google Form located in the Canvas module for each course.

The following absence reasons are listed below:

• Excused absences: illness or injury, quarantine, death in the immediate family, medical or dental appointments, field trips initiated by the school, pre-approved educational/community activity, religious observance and court proceedings.
• Unexcused absences: Including but not limited to bad weather, lack of utilities (heat, water, electricity), car trouble, family vacations, non-school related extracurricular activities

In the event that a student fails to log in whether for an excused or unexcused absence, the opportunity to make-up missing work will be provided. The following expectations will be followed for makeup and late work:

• Arrangements for completing the work should be made within five school days of the student’s return to school. Arrangements should include a schedule for completion of the work.
• The student and/or parent must initiate the contact with the teacher. BCPS staff will initiate attendance recovery interventions as needed.

Attendance Violations

After ten consecutive, all-day unexcused absences, the student will be designated a “10-day violator” in PowerSchool.

Grading Procedures and Exam Policies

Grading

Assigning grades for student work is an important part of the learning process. Grades for virtual students will be assigned in the same manner as students participating face to face. Teachers should record at least one grade a week for each subject area.

7th & 8th grade students will be assigned numerical grades which represent a letter grade on a 10 point scale using the following criteria:

• 90 - 100 - A
• 80 - 89 - B
• 70 - 79 - C
• 60 - 69 - D
• 59 - Below - F

Grading of Students with a 504 Plan, IEP, or EL (English Learner) Services

Students who receive services under a 504, IEP, EL plans should receive accommodations on assignments and assessments, if necessary and as identified in their written plans. EL students should be graded based on English language proficiency levels in reading, writing, listening and speaking as determined by the WIDA, W-APT, or ACCESS test. EL students may receive language modifications and testing accommodations in the classroom, while being instructed with the state standards on grade level.

Assignments

Late work and make-up work will be accepted by all Burke Virtual Academy teachers. Arrangements for completing work after an absence should be made within five school days of the student’s return. Arrangements should include a schedule for completion of the work.

Other assignments will be accepted, even when submitted after the designated due date. Credit for late work shall be awarded according to the following guidelines:

• If the student was unable to submit assignments because of an excused absence, full credit will be awarded for the work.
• If the student was unable to submit work because of an unexcused absence or submitting assignments after the due date, the work may be given less credit.

Exam Policies

• All required state EOGs  must be taken at Heritage Middle School.

Campus Safety

Students on Campus

Occasionally Burke Virtual students will be required to be present on campus during school hours for the purpose of completing assignments, tutorials, exams or other specified student activities. Students are not permitted to leave campus and return unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or designee. Students who leave campus unaccompanied must have permission by a parent, guardian, or designee. Students found in the parking lot or other unauthorized areas will be subject to consequences commiserate with the discipline code of that school and BCPS policy #4300-R. School hours are 7:45am - 3:00 pm. Students reporting to a BCPS school campus should:

• Sign in the front office upon arriving and leaving
• Work in designated workspaces
• Parents picking up students should come in the office to pick-up or provide written documentation for pick-up

Anti-Bullying

BCPS and BVA are committed to providing an encouraging and engaging learning environment. In order to ensure a safe atmosphere for students, any form of bullying or harassment will not not be tolerated.  Students and parents are encouraged to report incidents of bullying to the anonymous Say Something site.

Student Code of Conduct

Burke Virtual Academy students will be expected to meet the behavior expectations as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, 4300-R, in the BCPS Policy Manual.

Outlined below are some of the expectations specific to a virtual learning environment:

Disruptive Behavior

Minor behaviors that result in disruption of the learning environment (synchronous meetings) shall be addressed by school staff with appropriate interventions.

Academic Integrity

The virtual learning environment where direct teacher oversight is not occurring on a minute by minute basis can breed dishonest educational practices if parents, students and teachers are not steeped in the ethics of this unique learning platform.  Assignments, exams, and other types of school work are measures of student performance. Honesty is required to get an accurate view of what students are learning. Cheating, plagiarism, dishonesty, falsification of assignments, falsification or forgery of signatures, violation of software regulations, violation of copyright laws, violation of the acceptable use policy and inappropriate computer access are prohibited. Copying homework, sharing answers, copying from the internet, and using information without properly citing it is also considered cheating and is not permitted.  In addition, teachers will conduct many reading assessments where no help can/should be provided by the parent.  These assessments are the only way teachers know what your child is capable of completing on their own.  All BCPS code of conduct procedures will be followed in BVA as they would in the traditional schools for ethics violations.

Student Dress Code

Students are expected to dress in a manner that does not cause disruption to the virtual learning environment. Students who are dressed inappropriately will be required to change the inappropriate clothing. Virtual Academy dress requirements include the following in accordance with BCPS Board Policy 4316:

• Shirts must be worn by all students at all times
• Clothing should not be substantially disruptive, provocative, or obscene

Use and Possession of Electronic Devices: BCPS Board Policy 4318

Students may possess but shall not use a cellular telephone, portable electronic paging device of any kind, commonly known as a “beeper,” a digital camera, or any kind of electronic recording device in school during regular school hours except as approved by a principal or teacher. “Regular school hours” means from the beginning of the student instructional day to the end of the student instructional day. Using wireless communication devices to reproduce images of tests, to access unauthorized school information or to assist students in any aspect of their instructional program in a manner that violates any school board policy, district or school code of conduct is prohibited.

Using cellular telephones or other devices with photographic capabilities in student locker-rooms, restrooms, or any other student changing areas, regardless of whether such use occurs during the school day or outside the school day is prohibited.

Students taking photos of other students and posting on websites is not authorized without the permission of the student, parents, and principal/designee.

Using a laser pointer in a way that reasonably could cause physical harm or is disruptive is prohibited.

This policy will be in effect for students who are on a school bus, activity bus; any school system sponsored transportation, or on any school sponsored activity.

Consequences for all students are as follows:

1. First Offense: The electronic device shall be confiscated by the teacher. Notification shall be sent to the parent by the teacher. Parents may pick it up at the end of the school day from the teacher.
2. Second Offense: The electronic device shall be confiscated from the student and held in the office for parent pick up. The administration shall conference with the parent and student about appropriate use of devices and expectations of school
3. Third Offense(s): The electronic device shall be confiscated from the student and held in the office for parent pick up. The administration shall conference with the parent and student about how repeated disregard for this procedure will lead to other discipline as appropriate, which may include in-school and out-of-school suspension (i.e. insubordination, disrespect, inappropriate use of technology). The student will no longer be allowed to bring an electronic device to school except as approved by a principal.
4. Subsequent offense(s): The electronic device shall be confiscated, and the parent shall be notified by an administrator. The parent may pick up the electronic device from the school office, and the student may receive additional days of in-school or out-of-school suspension as deemed appropriate by school administration.

The Rules of Netiquette

“Netiquette” is a fairly new term used to describe the proper ways in which one should act in an online environment. This includes an eLearning environment; social media site; and/or while utilizing communication tools (i.e. email/text). Below are netiquette guidelines that all Burke Virtual Academy students are expected to follow:

• Act Appropriately: Be polite and courteous to others and avoid making any derogatory remarks to another person. Students are expected to adhere to the same code of conduct and acceptable behavior policy that has been established by the base school.
• Follow Email Best Practices: Email communications require a specific set of rules and understanding. For example, using ALL capital letters means you are yelling. Additionally, the tone and voice of email messages can be easily misunderstood, so it is always better to be clear and concise. Remember to anticipate what the person on the receiving end will think when they read your correspondence. When in doubt, students should have a parent, guardian, school counselor, or another teacher proofread the email before sending it.
• Be Proactive: If a student has a question about anything specific to his/her online course, they are strongly encouraged to ask the teacher directly. Teachers cannot offer assistance if they are unaware of a concern.

Inappropriate Student Behavior

• Course Disruption - Interference with teaching or conduct of course activities; creating a hostile environment
• Lewd Conduct - Students may not communicate any language or images that are deemed lewd.  
• Inappropriate Language - Students must use appropriate language suitable for high school in their communications and assignments.
• Harassment and Bullying - Students may not irritate, torment or bully other students or their instructors.

Student Services

Student services department provides services dedicated to assisting students with a variety of behaviors ranging from behavior, information, goal setting, conflict resolution and the overall understanding needed to make wise decisions that may affect their academic, social, and personal lives.  Students may schedule appointments to see the school counselor at a time identified by the counselor and student.

Technical Support Information

State Testing Dates

Students are required to participate in state-mandated tests on campus at Heritage Middle School.  Students must take the End-of-Grade state assessments.

All state mandated exams must be completed on campus.

• Exams dates and times are not flexible
• All exams begin at 8:00

Students will take NC Check Ins periodically through the semester.  These assessments are not used for a grade or for accountability purposes. However, they are a formative assessment that provides teachers with valuable feedback concerning student learning. If your student is enrolled in Burke Virtual Academy, he/she is expected to participate in all NC CheckIns.