Richland One seeks waivers for instruction and credit for students in residential treatment

At the April 14 CNI meeting, Dr. Miner told the committee that Richland One will submit a seat-time waiver for students at a residential treatment facility in the district's footprint (referred to in the transcript as "Buyers") because therapy and facility rules limit students to about two supervised instructional hours per day.

"We need to put in a waiver because their instruction will look like possibly two hours a day," Dr. Miner said, explaining the facility's clinical requirements and the district's plan to provide computer-based instruction aligned to students' IEPs and to coordinate with adult education and GED providers for older students.

Why it matters: Many students served there are middle- and high-school age and stay six to nine months, presenters said. Under current seat-time rules, limited supervised minutes can prevent students from accruing credits; the waiver would allow the district to record credit based on unit benchmark assessments or verified prior knowledge so students can advance and avoid aging out without a diploma.

District staff described two complementary approaches. The residential-facility waiver adjusts seat-time requirements for that setting and clarifies enrollment and reporting; a second, districtwide proficiency-based seat-time approach would allow students to demonstrate mastery via benchmark assessments or other evidence of prior learning to earn credit more quickly. Staff said they consulted state education officials while drafting the waivers and expect state review because the department participated in preparing the language.

Presenters also addressed operational constraints: students are not allowed to keep laptops in personal rooms, so instruction can occur only when a teacher or staff member supervises use of district devices; the facility operator (Recovery Solutions) provides on-site supervision and SRO-like presence in educational settings, and the district has visited the site to review equipment and safety protocols.

Committee members asked about potential impacts on district accountability and enrollments; staff said they had worked with the state to enroll facility students through an alternative site (Pendergrass Fairwald) so short-term placements would not adversely affect a home school's accountability metrics. Staff said they will bring the waiver forward for board approval at the next appropriate meeting.

Next steps: District staff will submit the seat-time waiver to the state department and present the waiver for board action; no final board action was taken at this committee meeting.