The Metro Nashville School District wants to start a virtual high school where kids can take classes online. That’s one of two new programs that have made it into next school year’s tight budget.
Boosting Metro’s 73 percent graduation rate. That’s what the district is hoping a virtual high school and a program for incarcerated students will do. The virtual school will allow students to go online and retake classes they may have failed. Also, it will offer AP courses that may not be available in certain schools. The program for incarcerated students will be anywhere from six weeks to a semester long. Director of Schools Jesse Register wants it to help transition kids back into regular public school.
“Educational evaluation, working with them on seeing where they are or what kind of credits they have, what they need. Perhaps social workers working with them.”
Register says throwing kids right back into the classroom after being incarcerated is often a recipe for trouble. The program is modeled after one in Memphis.
The cost of starting up both new programs is close to 600 hundred thousand dollars.
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