Apply for Caldwell Online Academy by March 31
Mar. 22—LENOIR — For the past two years, Caldwell County Schools (CCS) has offered an online learning option to sixth-12th grade students through the Caldwell Online program. This program has served over 550 students from 2021-2023, and staff members are excited to announce they're taking the next step to enhance the online educational delivery model.
Beginning with the 2023-24 school year, CCS' existing online learning program will become a fully separate school known as Caldwell Online Academy (COA). This is a free online public school option for rising fourth-12th graders who meet eligibility requirements in 2023-24.
"You have to have good attendance, good academics, and good discipline in order to be considered for the online academy because those are all hallmarks of students who are well prepared to be independent learners," said Julie Hall, COA director.
Next year, the academy will be adding this upper elementary level option for fourth and fifth grade families.
This program is extremely beneficial for students who struggle with in-person learning interactions for any number of reasons.
"Our students have a wide range of needs across the county," said Hall. "We have students who are parenting themselves, and it's been a struggle for those families to get those young mothers or fathers to the school building for in-person learning every day when they have children of their own to take care of ... We've had some cases with leukemia or heart transplant students who have been immunocompromised themselves, and if that's what they want to do for the rest of the time or it's what they need for a year or two while they get through that medical situation, then this is a great option for them that allows them to stay safe and still see their classmates.
"This was [Superintendent] Dr. Don Phipps's vision and direction that, to be a competitive school district, we needed to have this piece in place as an option for families," Hall continued. "That's what makes our program a little different than some of the other places. There are other districts where the virtual academy consists of logging onto a computer and doing all this work by yourself, and that is not what Caldwell County Schools intends. We want to support our students better than that, and that's why they have that live interaction requirement."
Applications are currently being accepted now through Friday, March 31st for rising fourth-12th graders who want to become Caldwell Online Academy Chargers next year. The application link, admission requirements, and other information can be found by going to www.caldwellschools.com/Domain/605 or the Caldwell Online Academy Facebook page.
The school will feature dedicated teachers with live student interaction, online clubs for all grade levels, and optional in-person events held periodically. Last year, COA students participated in the Winter Gathering games in December right before Christmas, which gave them the chance to spend some time getting to know one another. COA students also attend the Agricultural Expo in early May.
COA students may participate in sports at the zoned school where they are domiciled if they live in Caldwell County and they meet all of the regular athletic eligibility requirements as specified in CCS Board of Education Policy 3621 Student Athletic Eligibility. School chromebooks will be provided to every student, and Wi-Fi hotspots are available as needed.
Current CCS students, as well as homeschool, private school, and charter school students, are all welcome to apply. Dual enrollment options are available to support homeschool or private school family partnerships.
Please contact Julie Hall, Caldwell Online Academy Director, at juhall@caldwellschools.com or 828-728-8407 for questions or further information.
"We encourage everyone who is interested to apply," said Hall.
