As a student who has struggled with many medical issues through out my middle and high school career, it was not always feasible for me to attend classes when I was receiving treatment or undergoing medical testing. Online schooling was recommended by my counselor and has helped me tremendously academically while also allowing me to devote more time to my health. Online schooling wouldn't just help students with special accommodations, it would benefit the school as a whole if classes were accessible on days when school is canceled due to weather, or on days a student can't attend class because they are sick.

While some critics of online schooling may say that access to classes online will allow students to easily skip class and not learn the information being taught, in reality, online schooling makes schools more accessible to students with needs that can not be met in a classroom setting and allows student to continue having class even on sick days or days of weather cancellations.

Every young student looks forward to a snow day and sometimes even a sick day if it means they get to skip school, but as students grow older and start to narrow in on their post graduation plans, they often feel as if they can't afford to miss a day due to illness or weather. Online schooling would take all the stress of missing class away. Students that are sick would be able to continue receiving and submitting assignments in their own home. They would also not feel pressured to attend school on a day they don't feel well and risk possibly spreading the illness to other students. On days where the weather is too severe to send students to class, online classes would allow curriculum to continue without risking the safety of the students. It would also cut down on the need for built in cancellation days for extreme weather. Allowing classes to continue on sick days and weather cancellation days would increase overall attendance and allow students and classes to stick to their original learning schedule. This would improve the school and student's overall GPA and academic success.

Students with needs that are not being met in a classroom setting would benefit from having an online class option. They would have more time to tend to their personal needs while still having access to a complete education. Many special needs students who are attending schools that do not offer online classes are forced to move their education to a home school based option or to a private school that is better fit to support them. This, sadly, causes these students to miss out on the many class based and extracurricular opportunities that public schools have. It has been through my public school's vast variety of learning experiences that I have discovered a passion for science, art, and swimming and now have a clear vision of what path I want to take post high school graduation. Without these experiences, student will be less involved and less willing to learn, decreasing their academic performance and overall success in and out of school.

Most critics of online schooling argue that students will take advantage of online classes and will use them to skip in school classes. At my current school, there are regulations and rules that prevent this from happening. Students without accommodations are required to attend school if there is not a valid excuse for an absence. When there is an excused absence, it is assumed that the student is looking over the materials being missed online. People that have accommodations will most likely have a meeting with a school counselor or social worker at the beginning of the year to decide what schedule would work best for the individual. Some students may be required to come to school for part of the day, and then have an off campus wavier for the rest of the day when they have online classes. Others, may opt to have online classes all day and require an off campus wavier for the entire day. These students would then be required to check in to an online program within a certain time, or meet with a teacher that would come by their house to make sure they are completing assignments. No matter what, the student's attendance would still be taken, whether it be online or in class.

Online classes have been beneficial to many students at my school. I believe that if more schools were to offer online schooling, they would see a rise in the overall success of the students and it would create a safer, more inclusive environment for everyone involved. While it may be a concern that students will attempt to abuse the online system, as long the school has rules in place to prevent misuse it won't be an issue. Online schooling overall, will make schools more inclusive and accessible learning environments and allow for student to receive a proper education no matter their personal circumstances.