Thousands of students in one school district in Northern Virginia have signed an online petition objecting to what they say is an exhaustingly heavy workload during virtual learning.
The “Reduce the Workload for LOCO Students” petition has been signed more than 11,000 times. Loudoun County Public Schools students said they sit at their computers for longer than ever before but still get low grades.
“I have been an all A student my entire life and have never been this exhausted and stressed over school,” the petition says.
High school senior Paige Groton said she’s doing more homework now than she ever has. Online class time is not enough to work on assignments, she said.
“It’s definitely a lot more time than last year, when in school,” she said via video call.
On the petition, one student wrote that he went from usually getting all As and a B or two, to all Cs.
"I'm having to spend six plus hours a day on homework and I'm not even in any AP classes,” another student wrote.
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"The amount of work my high schoolers are receiving is ridiculous,” a parent wrote.
Loudoun County parent Megan Stahl-Smith signed the petition too. She said the workload keeps her sixth-grader in front of the computer for hours, well after the school day ends.
“She's just sitting in a room by herself, day in and day out,” she said.
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Stahl-Smith didn’t fault the teachers, who she thought were doing the best they could. She said students should get more time in class to work on assignments.
An LCPS spokesman said the district did not have any comment but would release the results of a survey on this topic later this week.
