H 644: Remote Academies

• Local boards of education may apply to the State Board of Education to operate remote academies that deliver a majority of instructional hours through internet-based technology both synchronously and asynchronously.

• Total enrollment in all remote academies per local school administrative unit is capped at 10% of total student enrollment, with the number of allowable academies ranging from one to five based on district size (from 1 for districts with 15,000 or fewer students to 5 for districts with more than 100,000 students).

• Remote academies must meet all public school requirements except transportation and food services, must provide hardware and software to students at no rental cost, and can only enroll students whose parents apply and commit to providing internet connectivity or students assigned by the district due to suspension.

• Local boards must submit detailed plans to the State Board covering curriculum, synchronous instruction minimums, professional development, student monitoring, and parent communication; remote academies are approved for five-year terms and may be revoked for substantial noncompliance.

• The State Board of Education must evaluate remote academy success annually based on school performance scores, retention rates, attendance rates, and graduation/dropout rates, reporting to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by November 15 each year.