PROGRESS: Sioux City school district launches virtual academy

The Sioux City public school district recently announced the startup of an all-online school, which will be open to all the district's over 15,000 students, as well as students from other Iowa public school districts.

Students had until March 1 to enroll in the K-12 virtual academy, which will begin online classes this fall.

"This will be a very personal decision for individual families and students," said superintendent Paul Gausman, who noted that many fare students better in traditional in-person courses for reasons that include socialization benefits.

The virtual academy students would learn in their homes, using laptops and other equipment provided by the district. Those with glitchy Internet access could also get a boost from mobile hot spots. 

At a Feb. 1 news conference, Gausman said the academy will be an "independent enrollment center that offers virtual learning for students in grades K-12. The virtual school will have a permanent presence in the district, so families can rest assured that students enrolled in virtual school can continue a seamless online school experience."

Online students will participate in classes daily, have the same academic calendar and earn full course credits, like in-person students.

Once enrollment numbers are known, a corresponding number of teachers will be assigned to the virtual academy, said Gausman, who added it's likely enough teachers will volunteer. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many district parents and their children already have experienced online learning. Before the current school year started, about 3,100 pupils opted for full-time online instruction. The number of families who stuck with that method has dwindled, and there were 1,461 pupils taking all their courses online at the start of the second semester.

Thirty to 60 teachers who have taught pupils online this year have done so with good results, Gausman said.

The rest of the district's students also have experienced a hybrid system of instruction twice his year, with that coming in the first two weeks and last two weeks of the fall semester. In those four weeks, half the students attended school in person on Mondays and Thursdays, and the other half on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The Iowa Department of Education approved the Sioux City district's application for the virtual academy. Sioux City's is one of only10 such academies in the state.

Students from other Iowa districts that want to enroll in the Sioux City academy must take the step of open enrolling in the district. 

Gausman said details remain to be worked out on whether or how pupils who attend the virtual academy would participate in co-curricular or extracurricular activities, such as music or sports. 

District officials asked the public for input in naming the virtual academy. They had until Feb. 15 to go online to submit potential names. A district committee will consider the public input and then make a recommendation to the school board later this spring.

A district website -- www.siouxcityschools.org/academics/virtual-school/ -- has been set up to provide information about the academy.