Questions and Answers for LEAs and Schools about …



Questions & AnswersDo all Local Education Agencies (LEAs) have to start a virtual school? No.Do all LEAs have to create a policy addressing a virtual program option? Yes. LEAs must allow a virtual education option for eligible students in Grade 9-12. In virtual programs that serve students from multiple schools, where is the student enrolled? The students will be enrolled in the school and LEA that is providing the virtual education.In virtual schools that serve students from multiple areas of the state, where is the student enrolled? The students will be enrolled in the school and LEA that is providing the virtual education. Virtual schools must upload evidence into the specified online platform that students are not enrolled in any other school. In virtual programs that serve students from multiple schools, where is the Average Daily Membership (ADM) counted? The ADM is counted at the school and LEA providing the virtual education. In virtual schools that serve students from multiple areas of the state, where is the ADM counted? The ADM is counted at the school and LEA providing the virtual education.Will virtual schools receive funding using the same formulas as other schools? Yes.Who is responsible for virtual student tracking and reporting to the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE)? Reporting will be the responsibility of the home originating school of record in accordance to the LEA policies for virtual programs and of the LEA or school providing the virtual education for virtual schools.Who is accountable for a virtual student in a virtual program? The school and LEA that is providing the virtual education.Who is accountable for a virtual student in a virtual school? The school and LEA that is providing the virtual education.If the LEA purchases course delivery from another LEA or vendor, will it affect the ADM of the home originating LEA? No. The source of the delivery of the course(s) does not affect funding, ADM, and attendance. Virtual courses(s) delivery can be purchased from another LEA or vendor.Can a LEA arrange with another LEA to provide a virtual program? Yes. The student must be enrolled in the home originating school of record.If a LEA purchases online course delivery from another LEA, who will receive the ADM funding and accountability? The same rules apply. The home originating school of record and LEA receive the ADM funding and accountability.Are schools required to use ACCESS for the curriculum? No.Is counseling provided for full-time online students? It is strongly recommended, and cautioned that schools provide each student with counseling related to their career path planning with all virtual learning options. School personnel should be aware and advise students on courses not accepted by a student’s chosen institution of higher education. Caution should also be given with regard to virtual education and Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA)/National Colligate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules imposed on traditional public school students when determining career path/courses in order to assure retention of eligibility. NOTE: NCAA requires all online courses to be approved and identified on the student’s transcript.How will accreditation change? Accreditation of courses should be considered as well as accreditation of schools and/or LEA. All college preparatory ACCESS courses are approved. It is the LEA’s responsibility to obtain accreditation for online courses delivered that are not delivered by ACCESS.Can a virtual school receive federal funds? Yes. What requirements will apply? The same requirements apply as for traditional schools including reporting and monitoring.What if a LEA arranges with another LEA to provide a virtual school program to a full- time virtual student when the student is zoned in a Title I school? If a student is in the attendance zone of one LEA, then the home originating LEA must have an arrangement to provide Title I services to the student.Since the law addresses only Grades 9-12, how do students Grades 7-8 enroll in the virtual program of a high school? That is a local decision.What if I am currently a home-schooled student and decide to enroll in a virtual program of a LEA that I am zoned to attend? The student must enroll in the home originating school of record and all other previous items apply.Can a virtual student transfer to another school outside of their attendance zone? Yes, if there is a local policy for intersystem transfers for ALL students.What if I am currently a home-schooled student and decide to transfer to a virtual program of a LEA that I am not zoned to attend? The local policy for intersystem transfers for ALL students will still apply and the student must enroll in a public school within the LEA.Who is going to monitor this law? The ALSDE will monitor the sections that apply to Federal Law such as Title I and Special Education as well as monitor the required evidence of compliance with the state law, via evidence uploaded to an online platform. What must the LEA do in terms of special needs students? The LEA must provide the services outlined in the IEP. Specific guidance for students with disabilities can be found in SBE Memo FY16-2023.Are all virtual students required to have a teacher of record to assign grades? Yes.Who is the teacher of record that assigns the grade? That is a local decision.When using ACCESS, is the facilitator required to be certified? No. When using ACCESS, Support Centers have taken the responsibility of ensuring that all online teachers are certified in the subject area and have been fingerprinted and background checked. Therefore, a facilitator that has been fingerprinted and background checked can transfer the grades from the ACCESS Learning Management System to the ALSDE student information system. The facilitator is not required to be certified.Is the online educator required to be certified? Yes. The online educator must hold valid professional educator certification in Alabama or in another state. The ALSDE strongly recommends that all online educators hold valid Alabama certification. Evidence of certification must be uploaded into the online platform diagnostic.Is the online educator or other online employee (for example, support staff such as an aide, secretary, etc.) be required to complete a criminal history background check through the ALSDE? Yes. LEAs must include in their contracts with vendors that online educators/employees with unsupervised access to students (virtually or in-person are required to complete a criminal history background check through the ALSDE pursuant to the Alabama Child Protection Act.Online educators who hold valid Alabama certification will have successfully completed a criminal history background check through the ALSDE.Online educators/employees who do not hold valid Alabama certification will be considered contract employees subject to the provisions of the Alabama Child Protection Act. With this designation, these employees will need to complete a criminal history background check through the ALSDE as a “classified” employee. After criminal history background results are submitted by the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation (ASBI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to the ALSDE, one of the following types of correspondence will be sent from the ALSDE to both the online educator/employee and the LEA superintendent of record:A letter confirming the absence of any criminal convictions and/or pending charges as reported by ASBI and FBI.A letter confirming any known criminal convictions or pending charges as reported by ASBI and FBI.A closing letter confirming that an ASBI/FBI criminal history background check could not be completed due to the applicant’s failure to provide required documents to the ALSDE. This individual is prohibited from working until he/she has complied with all requests from the ALSDE for information and a full review of the individual’s criminal history has been completed by the ALSDE.Upon the completion of the review, in all cases mentioned above, a corresponding message will be posted to the ALSDE’s Certification Portal, which is on the ALSDE web site and available to both authorized users and members of the public.Online educators/employees who do not hold valid Alabama certification and provide services for multiple LEAs must provide to the superintendent of each LEA a copy of their final letter from the ALSDE. LEA superintendents who receive a copy of the final letter from the online educator/employee are strongly advised to verify its content by contacting the Educator Certification Section of the Office of Teaching and Leading.Please be aware that it is the affirmative responsibility of the LEA to determine the online educator’s/employee’s eligibility for employment. ................
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