Moorhead reintroduces online secondary academy for grades 9–12; NCAA approval secured

Moorhead Area Public Schools officials outlined plans to reopen Moorhead Online Secondary Academy (MOSA) for grades 9–12 and described the program's structure, staffing and cost savings at the Aug. 18 board meeting.

David Lawrence, who presented the MOSA plan, said the district currently has roughly 25 students enrolled and expects additional enrollments before the school year begins. Lawrence said the district previously contracted with Owatonna to provide full-time online programming; that arrangement cost about $6,050 per student and the district paid roughly $153,000 last year for Owatonna-provided seats. Lawrence said running MOSA in-house will reduce that outsourcing cost and could bring additional revenue to the district as students return.

Lawrence said the program will use the Imagine Learning platform (commonly known as Edgenuity) and that district teachers—licensed in their subject areas—will deliver instruction and monitor progress. He said Moorhead secured NCAA approval for MOSA, which preserves athletic eligibility for students who participate in school teams while enrolled online.

The board heard that MOSA will initially serve Moorhead residents only, will focus on grades 9–12 to start and is designed to be scalable. Staffing plans allow up to 35 teacher sections and the district said it could expand capacity to about 80 students if demand requires. Lawrence described the program as aligned with high-school graduation requirements: "It is the same credit requirements as the high school; 26 credits to graduate," he said.

Board members asked about student eligibility for athletics and activities, whether online students may take in-person performance ensembles and how the program ties to the Career Academy and trades. Presenters said online students remain eligible for athletics and may participate in specified in-person classes (band, choir, orchestra and human performance) but generally will be full-time online in other subjects. Staff said some special-education case-management accommodations are in place and that counselors will work with families on individual cases.

The MOSA handbook was included in a later omnibus motion to approve all family and student handbooks; the board approved that motion. District staff said they will continue enrollment outreach and finalize schedules before the start of the school year.