Norfolk Public Schools staff presented an update on alternative programs—Madison and Open Campus—and outlined plans to better serve middle school students who are "overage for grade" during a school board work session.

Dr. Valerie Griffin described Open Campus as a flexible, citywide pathway that serves about 75 students at a time (roughly 15 slots from each high school) with an afternoon session and one virtual day. "It restores hope, helps students regain confidence, and allows them to accelerate or self pace their learning," Griffin said. She said site staffing changes had temporarily limited program expansion but that a dedicated open-campus coordinator is now in place and reopening a morning session would double capacity.

Madison is a placement-driven alternative that Dr. Griffin said has served approximately 750 unique students over the last three years (averaging 200 to 275 students annually). Madison, she said, is often used for students placed there after disciplinary actions; the program mixes in-person instruction and virtual options depending on the student's circumstances and provides counseling, behavioral supports and family engagement.

Outcomes and diplomas: Griffin told the board that Madison cohorts over four years produced 65 diplomas and that 300 of those cohort students remain enrolled in Norfolk Public Schools; 28 earned GEDs and 77 were no longer enrolled in the district. For Open Campus she listed diplomas by home school: Granby 18, Maury 13, Norview 10, Lake Taylor 4 and Booker T. Washington 18.

Overage middle-school proposal: staff said they are researching a program for students who will turn 16 before the end of eighth grade. Griffin said the district currently has 13 such students and that the plan would house these students in the same building as Open Campus for access to online coursework while providing separate, age-appropriate in-person supports on the Madison side. The stated goal is to give these students early high-school credits, wraparound services and a structured pathway so they can transition back to home schools and remain on track for graduation.

Board questions focused on capacity, staffing and outcomes. Miss Moore asked whether Madison is fully staffed; presenters said they have filled key roles but noted administrative support is still being hired and that former principal Sharon Phillips had been asked to help at Madison on an interim basis. Board members asked how students with IEPs receive services in the alternative settings; staff said those students receive the same special-education supports they would in their base schools and that learning-support staff attend to them on-site or through outreach.

Presenters said they have convened a stakeholder committee (site coordinators, counselors, student-support staff and administrators) to plan the overage program and that work on that committee began Oct. 8. They also said attendance follow-up is managed collaboratively with high-school attendance teams and the department of student services. Dr. Griffin closed by saying the district will explore enhanced mental-health services, deeper family engagement and further community partnerships to boost supports.

No formal board vote was taken on program changes; staff asked for continued support for staffing and scheduling that would allow morning and afternoon Open Campus sessions.