Clayton alternative students to attend ‘Virtual Academy'

By Fran Jeffries

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Beginning this fall, Clayton County alternative students will be issued a laptop and told to study at home.

Students in the county's alternative programs and those who aren't performing well in a traditional classroom will attend a "Virtual Academy," said school board chairwoman Pam Adamson.

Through the Virtual Academy, high schoolers will mostly work from home, while the middle schoolers will participate in the virtual program at Perry Learning Center in Jonesboro. 

School officials discussed the issue at Tuesday night's school board meeting. The virtual program could help the school system with academic improvement, discipline problems and budget issues, school officials said.

But Adamson said the primary reason for the new academy is to help students succeed.

"They're obviously not responding to the current alternative programs," Adamson said. "We're trying to find an environment where they will be successful."

She noted that students are well-versed in using computers. "Their whole world is wrapped up in it, she said. 

Adamson said the program would save the district money, "but not that much, if you factor in the cost for the computers and program materials.”

Adamson said computers given to the students will be monitored by school staff members.

She said high school students will be required to check in with their teachers at least once a week, and staff members will meet with parents to explain the proper use of the computers. Parents and students will have to sign a waiver that they will be responsible for the computers.

Adamson noted that Virtual Academy programs have been used in other Georgia school systems, including nearby Fayette County.

The Virtual Academy is set to begin this fall for students attending the alternative center, and classes will be re-located to the Perry Learning Center, officials said.

Adamson added that students who attend the Virtual Academy are still required to report to class and complete required standardized tests.