School Board Adopts Virtual Course Policies

The Bourbon School on November 20 approved Policy IGCD and revised Policy IGCE, which opens the door to implementing the Missouri Course Action Program (MOCAP).

MOCAP was passed by the Missouri Senate and signed into law June 1, which expands the former Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MoVIP).

The new legislation allows public or charter school students enrolled full-time for at least a semester to select from a catalog and enroll in virtual courses approved and paid for by local school districts or charter schools. The courses are monitored by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Bourbon Superintendent Patricia Thompson said Bourbon already offers online courses through Fuel Education.

“We have found (FuelEd) to be helpful for students who need to recover credit or for those who want to take a course we don’t offer,” Thompson said, adding that the district is still waiting for an approved vendor list and more detailed information to be posted for MOCAP.

“Once the list is posted, we will put a link on our webpage that will provide a small snippet of information of what we offer through FuelEd and also a link to the DESE site in the event students and parents want to learn more about it,” she said.

Like any other course, districts will monitor student participation and administer exams

Some districts have already started the process of setting up the virtual programs. Students who are approved will have their costs paid for by the district. Districts will be able to use state support funds up to the equivalent of a student’s full-time enrollment. 

The state-run MOCAP site says it will expand the range of courses and opportunities offered to students; offer courses for students when there are no qualified teachers to instruct the course; allow students to take a course not offered at their local district; provide courses for students with schedules that prevent them from taking a course; present “high quality instruction” to students in alternative education settings; provide additional support and extended time to students who failed to achieve in regular courses and provide equity across programs and schools in the quality of instruction.

Teachers must be certified by the state and courses are delivered over the Internet. To assure students success with online learning, a variety of technology resources will be provided. Teachers will communicate with students and parents via email, phone, online messaging or other means.

MOCAP will not offer a complete high school diploma program. Courses will be offered that can be applied to a student’s transcript. 

Students should plan on spending at least one hour a day, five days a week on each course, similar to the amount of time a student would spend in a course at their regular school.

Policy KBA

Policy KBA — Public’s Right To Know — was rescinded. This policy is already covered under BDDL.

Snow Bid

Boast Enterprises was awarded the 2018-2019 snow removal bid at a rate of $84 per hour and a cost for salt of $20 per 100-pound bag.