Rationale

The Mission of Peach County School District (PCSD) is to graduate college and career-ready students. It is our belief that the utilization of technology will lead to increased success in post-secondary opportunities. In July 2012, Senate Bill 289 was passed and signed into law by the Governor. The new law sets guidelines and expectations for how districts offer and notifies students and parents about online learning options. This legislation does not require an online course to graduate, but provides an online learning option should you or your student choose.

The following information is provided to help guide your educational decisions regarding online learning:

• A student may take an online course even if the course is offered in the local district.

• If the online course is taken in lieu of any course during the regular school day, there will be no charge to the student or parent (with a district-approved online program).

• Any courses taken during the regular school day must be taken on campus.

• If an online course is chosen outside of the regular school day (except as assigned by school administration for specific graduation purposes/credit recovery), the student is responsible for the cost of the course payable prior to course registration.

• The availability of online courses during the school day is subject to the availability of personnel to supervise online students and the capacity of the school to accommodate online learners on computers. Check with your school counselor for details regarding availability.

Online Options Available for PCSD Students:

Peach County students may choose from full-time or part-time online options. These options are outlined below.

Full-Time Options:

•  Students in grades K-5 selecting to take online courses must be full-time enrollees in a selected online academy (see chart on page 2). PCSD does not offer part-time enrollment availability for students in grades K-5.

• Please note that Georgia Cyber Academy, Georgia Connections Academy, and Provost Academy Georgia are not affiliated with Peach County School District. These online providers are state virtual charter schools. If a parent chooses to enroll their student full–time in Georgia Cyber Academy, Georgia Connections Academy, or Provost Academy Georgia, the student will no longer be a student of Peach County School District and instead a student of the virtual charter school.

   

Part-Time Options:

• Edgenuity is an online program utilized by PCSD to provide online course options to students in grades 6-12 during the regular school day.

• If an online course is taken through Edgenuity during the regular day, there is no cost to the student.

• Fees for online courses will be charged for the following:

o   If another part-time program other than Edgenuity is utilized to provide online content (i.e. Georgia Virtual School).

o   If an Edgenuity course is taken outside of the regular school day (except as assigned by school administration for specific graduation purposes/credit recovery).

·       All applicable fees will be payable before students may register for an online course.

Process

The process of electing to take advantage of an online course should begin by discussing the option with the student’s counselor. Parents and guardians are required to participate in the discussion with the appropriate school personnel prior to student enrollment in an online course. After verifying that the selected course meets the needs of the student’s requirements, plan for graduation and/or CTAE pathway, the student should assess whether he/she is prepared for an online course.

Interested students should complete the Request for Approval to Take Online Courses form available through the school counselor’s office or the Peach County School District website, and return it to the designated school counselor.

After the student’s counselor has received the Request for Approval to Take Online Courses and approved course registration, the student may register for the desired online course provided any applicable fees have been paid. Fees only apply if students choose to take courses provided through an online program other than Edgenuity or if an Edgenuity course is taken outside of the regular school day (except as assigned by school administration for specific graduation purposes/credit recovery).A detail of any applicable fees will be included on the registration document.

Reminders for Middle and High School Students Taking Online Courses:

• PCSD will use Edgenuity as a preapproved provider of online courses for students in grades 6-12. All costs associated with providers other than Edgenuity will become the responsibility of the parent or guardian of the student.

• High school students must enroll in a full course load each semester/year, which may include one or more online classes. Students must remain enrolled in all classes throughout the duration of the semester if ½ credit or year if 1 credit.

•  A copy of the Request for Approval to Take Online Courses form will be filed in the student’s permanent record.

• Once a student has selected, been approved, and enrolled in an online course, the student must complete the selected online course.

• The student is responsible for notifying his/her school if a course is dropped.

• Edgenuity courses taken as part of the regular school day schedule may be taken at no charge.

• A fee will be charged for any online course(s) taken in addition to the student’s regular schedule (as outlined on the Request for Approval to Take Online Courses form) and the parent or guardian must pay all costs associated with the course prior to registration.

•  If you are a student-athlete and plan on taking an online course, please be sure to check with your online course provider to ensure the online course is NCAA approved. Online providers should have NCAA information posted on their sites. For more information about NCAA eligibility, please click here

 If you wish to apply for online courses please fill out THIS form and return it to your child’s school counselor