The REAL academy should be continued for those who cannot return to school safely. I also believe we should look into updating and expanding REAL even after vaccinations are available for all children. I believe it could be a true differentiator in our district, but it's going to take strong stewardship to realize it's full potential.

Vaccines are being administered at an accelerated rate, but the COVID pandemic is not over. We cannot have apathy and fatigue on safety, and need to make sure that parents who choose remote learning due to concerns have the REAL academy options available to them. I think we can take the lessons learned this year to continue to leverage this technology even when we return to a state of normalcy- for children that need to be physically out of school for an extended period of time due to an illness, suspension, etc.

Until children are able to be fully vaccinated, I support the continuation of the REAL Academy. Many students have thrived being able to learn remotely, and it is imperative that as long as COVID is a threat that we provide a safe, educationally rigorous option for students who are not comfortable or safe in a full in-person model. During this time, we should also do a cost-benefit analysis in regards to keeping the REAL academy moving forward beyond COVID. There may be excellent reasons why a remote branch of our school district might be beneficial to many different types of students outside of a pandemic situation that are worth exploring.

Until we're on the other side of this pandemic all academic options need to be on the table in order to accommodate all of our families. I think there were lots of surprised families, teachers and administrators who discovered that not only can we provide a sufficient remote learning model but also that there are families who thrive in this environment. My hope is that school districts will look at possibly continuing this option even once the pandemic is behind us if there is a call for it.

While I believe that students and families that wish/need to be physically in school to grow should have that opportunity, I also believe that those that require a remote learning environment for the student/family's safety should be provided the opportunity.

The REAL Academy has potential to be a great resource for the students that are doing schoolwork remotely. I would like to see evidence to show of the effectiveness and families/teachers' thoughts on how REAL Academy has worked thus far to ensure the students learning remotely are still getting the necessary education and learning opportunities they need and deserve. (In previous School Board Meetings, I recall basic reviews for the programing, but do not recall a formal survey or assessment).

I support continued remote/concurrent education for families affected by medical fragility issues and others until the pandemic is over. Beyond that, there is medical fragility coverage through IEP and 504 plans that help families who may need to continue remote for various medical reasons. The criteria for non-medical fragile issues post-pandemic would need to be well-defined and legal issues addressed before moving forward.

I do not want to change anything this year. We are too close to the end and the disruption to the district could be catastrophic. I like the idea of REAL, but we also need to understand the impact to the district and the taxpayers as well as the legal implications concerning school choice. The options offered through REAL are not the same that are offered to in person learning right now. If we need a remote option in the fall, I would look to a concurrent model with strict guidelines.

The REAL academy in my opinion should be continued for the remainder of the year, for consistency only. If there is a need for a family with health concerns next year, I believe the concurrent option would be the best option because the REAL academy does not have all the course offerings that the concurrent and in school options have. The REAL option is limited in offerings and requires additional staff and costs that are not necessary with the concurrent option. If students want a remote learning experience with additional course offerings, there are other options such as VLACS (Virtual Learning Academy Charter School) among others.

Given that leading experts (World Health Organization, ADA, CDC) are telling us that it will likely be late fall until possibly the end of QI 2022, I believe that the district needs to provide options for families that chose to stay remote next school year.

I have heard from several parents whose students have benefited significantly from the REAL Academy remote learning program! I would bring in the REAL coordinator to present to the board a proposal for review (on behalf of the families who are in that program and would like to continue remotely). I am open to working out the logistics of whether we can meet that request for those students who have had proven success in that model. I am also open to the discussion of whether this program has long-term viability for the Merrimack District.

I fully support the continuation of REAL academy. It is imperative for many families to have this model of learning during the pandemic. I believe a strong partnership between the school board, the admin team, REAL educators and students/families is crucial to ensure that the remote students educational and social/emotional needs continue to be met for the remainder of the school year and into the following school year. I believe that there have been many positive aspects that have come from setting up the REAL Academy and that this method of providing an education to students who thrive in this environment should be explored/considered once we are post-pandemic.