GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Online versus in-person: two sides of an ongoing education debate. Some parents want their children to return to school full-time.
"I really wanted my kids to have that experience of being in school five days a week," said Leia Malone.
Others say their children are benefiting from, and enjoying, virtual learning.
"If my girls get done early, they're getting an extra ten-minute break instead of sitting around," said Bridget Van Laanen.
Starting today, parents will have more of a say in the side they stand on. Parents can now apply for open enrollment through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. It lets families attend a school district other than the one in which they live, and parents can apply to up to three different districts.
"I think it's important just to give parents that option because it might be that the district that they live in just might not be the right fit for the child," said Jen Demrow, School Administration Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. "This gives them the opportunity to just explore that and just to see if something else might be better fit for the child."
During the 2019-2020 school year, 65,000 students transferred through the program. After a contentious year that still has many parents frustrated, that number could climb in the year ahead.
"My littlest has really missed a lot of that social, emotional piece of school," said Malone. "It seems like Wisconsin is really doing it right."
Enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year runs through April 30th. The online application is the preferred method, but you can also fill out a paper application and take it directly to the school district.
You can apply for open enrollment here.
