The Portage Township School Board voted Monday night to expand the district's new online school into the middle school levels.
The vote originally took place in April when board members approved the Personalized Academics and Customized Excellence,(PACE) Virtual Academy. The online classes began this school year being offered to students in ninth through 12th grade.
Superintendent Amanda Alaniz said the expansion of the program into sixth through eighth grade was in response to the families seeking a virtual option.
The PACE Virtual Academy is open enrollment, meaning students who reside both inside and outside district boundaries can enroll in the school; However, students enrolled in the online school are not eligible to participate in extracurricular programs and athletics.
Currently there is not any additional full-time staff for the virtual school, staff are receiving an additional stipend if they serve as mentors who communicate weekly with the online students, check in on their progress and make adjustments to their coursework as needed.
