Grace Drake, far left, and Abbie Drake talk to Jacob Rozell, John Ballew and Sam Drake at the drama table during the Hartselle High School College and Career Fair Tues., Feb. 10. | Joy Haynes

Hartselle City Schools is preparing to launch a virtual academy that will allow its students to get ahead, catch up or take new electives while allowing local homeschool or private school students to take classes through Hartselle.

The Hartselle Board of Education is considering awarding a $27,800 contract with Edmentum, Inc. to allow the school system to use its Plato curriculum, which will allow Hartselle High and Junior High schools to offer more than 70 different online courses.

Hartselle High School Principal Jeff Hyche introduced the program, which has been dubbed Hartselle Virtual Academy, to students and parents during its College and Career Fair Feb. 10. He said the online courses will allow students to further customize their education.

“This may not be for everyone because the rigor of these courses will be much more higher than it might be in the classroom,” Hyche said. “This will allow students to earn more credits outside of the classroom for our high achieving students. It will also allow us to allow several additional tracks for career-tech programs that we don’t offer. And we can use this for remedial courses for students who need additional help.”

Hyche said the classes allows students to learn at their own pace, but there are fail-safes built into the program to keep a student from flunking an online course. If a student decides to take the online course at home, they will have to keep an 80 average just to stay in the class.

“We will be monitoring their progress very closely,” Hyche said. “If they aren’t turning in their homework or doing all of the work associated with an online class at home, we may require them to come to school and take the class. They will have to maintain an 80 average just to be able to take the class online.”

Hyche added that the Edmentum software could also help homebound students earn credits while they’re away from school.

“It gives us another option to help students salvage some credits when a life experience happens,” Hyche said. “It could also help us retain other students by offering them online courses to take while they’re at home.”

School Superintendent Dr. Vic Wilson said he’s also excited because local students who are homeschooled or attend private schools could take courses that they aren’t offered. He also said that homeschool students who carry a full-time course load could also participate in extra-curricular activities.

“As long as they carry a full-time course load, they could play in the band, play sports, cheer or participate in any kind of school activity as long as it meets AHSAA requirements,” Wilson said. “They will be treated just like regular students. They would have to take the athletics class or the band class, but they would be required to come on campus for those classes and practices.”

Chief school financial officer Jonathan Craft said if a homeschool students enrolled in online classes, the school system to could count them on their enrollment, which could mean additional funding of about $8,000 per student.

In addition to the additional state funding, Hyche said the school system could help pay for the curriculum by eliminating summer school and charging a technology fee for each class.

“This would take the place of summer school and our eight and a half class,” Hyche said. “That cost savings alone might be enough to pay for the service.”

In a handout given to students and parents last week, there would be a $50 technology fee per class, but Hyche and Wilson said those fees haven’t been finalized.

However, all students who are placed in a remedial program by a teacher would not be charged a fee. Hyche also said there might be scholarships to help students who can’t afford the technology fee.

“We will do our best to find a way to help our students pay for the classes,” Hyche said. “We won’t deny them an opportunity just because of that.”

Wilson said they have been studying Florence and Athens, who have both implemented virtual academies this year. He also has been talking with Morgan County Schools and Decatur City Schools who also chose Edmentum to implement their virtual academies.

“Decatur is only a few months ahead of us,” Wilson said. “Morgan County is about one month ahead of us. All of us will have our virtual academies online by next school year.”