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To the editor:

My name is Jack Van Straten, and I’m a senior at King’s Fork High School.

The changes being made to keep people safe from the coronavirus have significantly impacted the education system all across Virginia. Many public and private schools, Suffolk included, have switched to an online platform to continue teaching throughout the remainder of the year. Many seniors are concerned if they will be able to graduate on time.

I’m not talking about the graduation ceremony — that can easily be moved to an online setting — but instead receiving a high school diploma and being able to say, “I’ve graduated high school.” The lack of progress being made to continue teaching the curriculums of our classes has made it seem as if this will have to be made up for in some fashion.

One of the biggest fears of most of my peers is that we wouldn’t be able to move on to the next chapter of our lives, and something that wasn’t our fault will keep us from doing that. Because of this, we look to our leaders, such as Superintendent Gordon, Secretary Qarni and Gov. Northam to not forget us and our futures during this crisis.

Jack Van Straten

Suffolk