By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Staff Reporter

Chilton County Schools are adopting the Virtual School Program for the 2016-17 school year, part of a program that the state Legislature wanted in place for every school system to start this school year.

PASS Academy in Clanton will be the home to the program, which will be open to 25 high school students from around Chilton County.

This program is an online option for students who are highly motivated independent learners. Students interested in joining the program are expected to apply through their base schools counselor. The counselor will look at their GPA and what kind of learner that student tends to be, before they determine whether they meet the criteria to join the virtual school.

“We’re doing some innovative programs here at PASS Academy and us hosting the Virtual School Program was just a natural fit,” said PASS Academy principal Kelvin Boulware.

Boulware previously worked at PASS when it was the Chilton Alternative School and was most recently the principal at Verbena and Clanton Middle Schools, but this will be his first year as principal at PASS

Students that enroll in the Virtual Schools Program will still be able to attend all normal functions at their base school like dances and athletic events, as well as join extracurricular activities, and athletes will still be able to participate on their school’s teams.

The only difference between this program and a normal school is that all assignments are done online through a program called ACCESS. Each class that a student takes through ACCESS will have a certified teacher that is the facilitator for that class and students will be required to take their tests at the PASS Academy with a Virtual School proctor.

Students attending the program must provide their own transportation to and from PASS Academy for their tests.

“The state of Alabama was looking at other delivery methods for our students and this was one step that they decided to take,” Boulware said. “I remember going back for my master’s and having to take two online courses, which took some adjusting. I think that’s where things are headed so it’s good to get ahead of things.”

Boulware also pointed out that even thought they are only opening the program to 25 students this year they expect word to get out and that the Virtual School will grow tremendously going into next school year.

“This is an exciting time to be in education with all of the changes that are going on in the state,” Boulware said. “The overall goal is to help reach our students and find better delivery methods for them.”

ACCESS allows students to work in an online environment that will allow for flexible individualized learning. School starts Aug. 9, which is right around the corner. If you have more questions about the program, you can reach Chilton County Schools at 280-3000.