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District to move EPIC credit‑recovery program back into high school to expand elective access
Summary
Administrators plan to embed EPIC alternative‑education staff at Cheltenham High School for 2026–27: credit recovery will run in blocks 1 and 4, students will attend regular classes in other blocks, and wellness supports will be expanded; staff said the move will increase students’ access to electives and reduce programmatic isolation.
Cheltenham School District officials told the Educational Affairs Committee they plan to relocate the EPIC alternative‑education program back to Cheltenham High School for the 2026–27 school year to give students improved access to elective credits and on‑site mental‑health supports.
EPIC leaders reviewed two years of outcomes: in the program’s first year the presentation listed 50 students started and 40 enrolled with 95 online credit‑recovery credits earned; in the current year 42 students started, 47 were enrolled at the time of reporting, and 106 credits were earned through online recovery courses with an average grade of 86.2%. A small number of students returned to the high school after semester 1, and two students previously earned diplomas while others engaged with military recruiting via ASVAB testing.
For 2026–27 the district proposes that EPIC students be scheduled so credit recovery occurs in blocks 1 and 4 while students enroll in regular CHS classes in blocks 2 and 3. The aim is to reduce the program’s isolation (which limited elective access) and to preserve EPIC’s check‑in/check‑out, wellness and tier‑3 intervention support. One teacher will be reassigned to Cedarbrook Middle School and EPIC teachers will be embedded into CHS staffing; additionally, two teachers (one EPIC and one CHS teacher) have been released as interventionists to provide push‑in support across the high school.
Administrators said the move will also allow EPIC students to access more electives, expand counseling and restorative‑practice supports, and maintain dedicated credit‑recovery instruction. Board members raised concerns for students who benefit from a separate setting and asked that supports for those students remain available; administrators said some students will continue to receive intensive, targeted supports within the high‑school setting and that the district will pilot restorative and social‑emotional spaces.
No formal vote was recorded on the relocation during the meeting; administrators said staffing and placement details will be finalized during summer planning and that families will be notified of program changes.
