Coloma Community Schools will launch a new virtual academy this coming school year.

Superintendent David Ehlers tells us the Coloma Virtual Pathway will be a way for students in grades nine through 12 earn the credits they need to graduate without having to physically come to classes each day. Instead, they’ll be connected with videos and virtual meetings with certified teachers.

Ehlers says most districts now offer some form of virtual program, which has become necessary since COVID.

“We see a lot of kids that struggle to just be out and about in society,” Ehlers said. “It’s not that they don’t get along with other kids, they just, they struggle, it’s overwhelming, they get anxiety, things like that.”

Ehlers says with the Coloma Virtual Pathway, a student can take all-online classes, or they can enroll in CTE classes that offer hands-on learning for part of the week. Some electives may also be in-person. He says all of the same graduation requirements will apply to Virtual Pathway students as those going to school in-person. So, he says students who wish to enroll in the virtual academy will have to apply and meet with the administration.

“Online learning sounds easy, right? But it takes a special disciplined person. You’ve got to be disciplined to go through it, whether you knock out one class and then move on to the other, or you’re working a little bit in each class every day. But it takes dedication. I think that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. So we want to meet with parents. We want to meet with the family unit, discuss and make sure everybody understands what they’re getting into.”

Ehlers says parents have to be involved in the decision as well.

Ehlers is expecting Virtual Pathway to launch this fall with about ten students, and tells us eventually, it could lead to the creation of a new virtual high school or be expanded to middle school. For now, they’re starting small.

Anyone interested in the program should contact the administration office at Coloma Community Schools.