The Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday directed Superintendent Tom Bennett to gather more information and return with details on a proposed pilot to host the district’s ACE (Atascadero Choices in Education) independent‑study middle school program at Carissa Plains Elementary.

Bennett presented a plan the district described as a possible “satellite learning lab,” in which Carissa Plains students would use the ACE online curriculum on campus with on‑site support from existing Carissa Plains staff. He said the approach would use current staff and facilities to provide on‑site academic oversight and socialization for students choosing an independent‑study option, and emphasized that the proposal would not add ongoing district staffing costs.

The trustees’ directive requires Bennett to return with answers to practical questions raised during the discussion, including probable daily schedules, measures for student conduct and academic monitoring, how the ACE teacher of record would coordinate with on‑site staff, contingency plans if the pilot grows, and additional input from certificated and classified staff and families.

Board members and staff said parents in the Carissa Plains community raised concerns about long bus rides to in‑town options and a desire for more local support. Bennett told trustees staff had met with families and that the district’s goals were to try an affordable, compliant approach that provided school‑day oversight while keeping the ACE curriculum and teacher‑of‑record relationship with the central ACE program.

Trustees and staff discussed how the pilot would work in practice: students would use the ACE online coursework during the morning, with scheduled recess and lunch, then leave at about 12:45 p.m. for family‑arranged electives or activities. Bennett and ACE staff said attendance in ACE is recorded by work completion rather than seat time and that the ACE teacher of record would remain responsible for opening modules, monitoring progress, and meeting independent‑study legal requirements.

Trustees asked for clarity on several operational points. Board members requested the district return with:
- an estimate of how many Carissa Plains and nearby students would choose the on‑site ACE option;
- confirmation of how adults on site (teachers and aides) would be assigned, and whether the arrangement would change job duties or require bargaining‑unit consultation;
- a plan for separating middle‑grade students from much younger grades during unstructured times (recess/lunch);
- entry and exit criteria, behavioral safeguards and the process for returning students to a traditional classroom; and
- a short plan for a pilot evaluation with measurable data collection and a timeline.

Bennett and staff said Carissa Plains currently enrolls 18 students on site and that a district query showed six students living in Carissa Plains’ attendance boundaries attend in‑town middle school programs; staff estimated a combined cohort of about 24 students in some scenarios. They also said Carissa Plains already has two credentialed teachers and two instructional aides on site and that student‑to‑adult ratios there were small relative to typical classroom sizes.

Trustee discussion emphasized that the ACE at‑site option should remain a voluntary, application‑based program with clear expectations and that the district should pilot any change carefully and temporarily, with explicit reversion conditions if the pilot does not meet academic or behavioral benchmarks.

After questions and comments from trustees and staff, the board approved a motion instructing the superintendent to gather additional information, consult with staff and families, and return with a more detailed proposal and answers to the questions raised. No policy change or pilot start date was approved at the meeting.

The board scheduled follow‑up work and said the item would return after the district compiles the requested detail and community input.