The board heard a detailed briefing about plans to stand up a district-run virtual school that would operate like a brick-and-mortar school in accountability and grade-book terms but without a physical building.

Mrs. Bunton (presenter) distinguished emergency e-learning (weather days) from a sustained virtual school and said the committee recommends beginning at grade 3 or later so students can be proficient readers before enrolling virtually. "We would want that. There's policy the district adopted that has very specific things outlined that you have to consider in a virtual school," she said, describing a committee-driven application and interview process for students and semester-by-semester enrollment reviews.

Presenters said virtual students would be on Canvas with live teacher contact and that attendance/engagement rules require teachers to document five hours of student work and use the same gradebook and Skyward attendance systems as in-person classes. The committee also discussed staffing models that could have secondary teachers split in-person and virtual sections and said the union president has been part of planning discussions.

Board members asked who the target students would be: Mrs. Bunton said the model is not intended to be a catch-all for students "in trouble" but for students whose families and the committee believe they will perform better in a virtual environment (military families were given as an example). The board discussed extracurricular participation, technology needs and cost unknowns; staff said costs have not been finalized and a high-school pilot would likely be the easiest starting point.

No action was taken; staff said next steps include finalizing administrative procedures, working with the union, defining staffing and developing selection criteria before any enrollment begins.