Aug 17, 2010 By Carla Destefano 3 min read

Cyber school students within the Southeastern Greene School District will have a new option this fall for completing studies online. At the start of the 2010-11 school year, the newly formed Southeastern Greene Digital Academy will allow students who choose to attend high school through online courses the chance to remain connected to the district.

According to Bill Henderson, district superintendent, the academy will be under the direction of Montage Education from Philadelphia. Henderson said current cyber school students are enrolled in four different online schools, but implementing a program through the school could give district officials more control over their studies.

“We now have some say in what courses the students are taking. Any issues that parents may have can be presented to our school staff, and we can monitor the students to make sure they are taking the classes they say they are,” he said.

Henderson also noted that students who graduate from the district’s cyber school will receive their diplomas from Southeastern Greene and participate in graduation exercises there, which in the past they have been unable to do. Students enrolled in the new academy will continue to be able to participate in the district’s extra-curricular activities.

“Obviously we would like to see all of our students attending school regularly inside the buildings of our district,” Henderson said. “It’s something we can’t control as far as whether they decide to go to cyber school. So the next best step is to give them the option of attending ours. My goal is that maybe in the next three to five years there are so many good things happening out of this program that all the students will want to come back to the school.”

Last year, the district had 30 students enrolled in a cyber school. Henderson said to date, 12-15 students are enrolled for the fall, but he is hoping at least five to 10 of those students transfer to the new academy.

Rates for the cyber school have not been determined and there is no upfront cost to the district. Henderson noted that the district currently pays for students to attend cyber school. He said school officials will look at those varied rates and lock in a rate for the district within the next few weeks.

An informational meeting about the new cyber school for parents and prospective students will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Mapletown Junior-Senior High School cafeteria. Henderson said the meeting will include information about the cyber school and the opportunity to register.