Co-principals at Holmes High School presented the Covington School Board with a plan for continuing virtual online learning for the next school year, which will be an option for students.

Tony Magner and Angela Turnick said the virtual option would be useful for students who might need more time to process lessons.

And some families in the district may still be concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted the previous school year, and may choose to keep their children at home.

The pair determined that a program called Edgenuity is best for their students, allowing students to work on their lessons independently rather than signing up and watching a class.

Thanks to this program, students work at their own pace and will not be locked into a regular schedule of the school day.

However, if a student falls behind and fails, they will have to come back to campus for help with the program. Once caught up, they can return to virtual learning.

Turnick said there would be mandatory orientation for parents, and that they would need to provide an email address, so they can receive updates. Parents can contact teachers at any time if they have any questions.

Students must apply for this program online, and the program will be limited to those who have passed the program.

Principals have requested an additional teacher, and the pupil / teacher ratio will be 75: 1.

The board approved two new teachers for the virtual program.

CTO Jamarcus White gave a lengthy report on the district technology plan. He told the board that WiFi coverage in the district will be significantly boosted over the next school year.

The council voted to create a new position for the district, that of executive director of human resources and operations.

The board will hold three meetings to discuss the annual assessment of the superintendent. Board chair Glenda Huff said her goal is to complete it by July 13 and deliver it by July 14.

It will then be published at the next meeting of the Board of Directors.

-Patricia A. Scheyer, RCN collaborator