Johnson City board approves Market Street School as virtual program, expands alternative placements
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Summary
The Johnson City Schools Board voted to create a separate virtual school, Market Street School, to meet new state requirements and give the district a distinct virtual school number and expanded alternative placement options for students in grades 1–12.
The Johnson City Schools Board of Education on June 2 approved the creation of Market Street School as a distinct virtual school and campus to house the district’s alternative and fully virtual programs.
The board voted to authorize the district to submit an application to the Tennessee Department of Education to reestablish a virtual school number and operate the Market Street campus for grades 1 through 12, including co-op arrangements so high‑school students can participate in extracurriculars at their zoned high school. The motion passed on a roll call vote.
Board members and administrators said the action responds to new state guidance tightening rules for virtual and alternative programs. In staff presentations, district leaders said the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) notified districts late that virtual programs and alternative placements require clearer accounting and specific approvals; the Market Street School application is intended to align Johnson City with those rules.
Superintendent-level staff and the district’s alternative‑program leaders described how the Market Street School would operate. Fully virtual students would be enrolled under the new school number and use the district’s contract with Pearson for instruction; elementary alternative placements could include a limited 45‑day virtual placement when local options are exhausted. District staff said the Pearson platform provides mostly synchronous instruction at the elementary level and a blend of synchronous and asynchronous instruction at middle and high school.
Administrators said the separate school number would let the district staff and fund virtual and alternative placements differently from current site‑based Edmentum or onsite alternative programs. The board was told Market Street students would still be eligible to participate in athletics and extracurriculars at their zoned schools through co‑op agreements, though a Market Street diploma and graduation ceremony would be separate from Science Hill High School unless local principals arranged otherwise.
District officials said the plan includes increased special‑education staffing at the Market Street campus and broader on‑site supports for students who now receive fewer instructional hours (for example, some medically fragile students currently on homebound instruction). Topper Academy staff and administrators will continue to be part of the program during the transition; the district said the Market Street campus would be referred to administratively as the Science Hill Market Street campus for clarity.
Board members said they moved the item promptly because of the state deadline in late April and the timing of the TDOE appendix the district received. A board member said many districts received similar notices and some were racing to comply.
The board approved the motion to apply for creation of Market Street School as a virtual school, including co‑op arrangements for high‑school extracurricular participation and, if needed, co‑op arrangements for middle school. The motion passed by roll call.
