The Arkansas Board of Education on Thursday gave final approval to the LISA Academy’s proposed Hybrid School, a semi-virtual school for students in grades kindergarten through 12 in the coming 2021-22 school year.
The plan, initially approved in February by the state’s Charter Authorizing Panel, will provide students with virtual instruction but will also require that students report once a week — or at least every other week — for one-half day at a time to a LISA campus or satellite learning center.
Students' on-campus time will be used for hands-on lessons, taking mandatory tests, tutoring, academic enrichment, special services, sports, clubs and interaction with other students, Necati Sahin told the Education Board. Sahin is a LISA Academy charter school system assistant superintendent and director of human resources who is the project manager for the hybrid school project.
Satellite learning centers could include a church, office building, community center or library, Sahin said.
Initially, a hybrid school student’s time on-site would be on the campus of LISA Academy Middle School, 21 Corporate Hill Drive, in Little Rock, or the LISA Springdale campus, 301 Holcomb St.
Satellite learning centers throughout the state would be added as needed to meet family demand until there are centers in the northwest, southwest, northeast, southeast and central regions, planners have said.
The Education Board’s vote Thursday allows for an increase in the charter system’s enrollment by 1,050 students to accommodate the addition of the hybrid school and an additional 200 students to the 300-student cap at the LISA Springdale campus.
The enrollment cap for the system would grow over time from the current 4,382 to 5,632.
The hybrid school plan is in the form of an amendment to the LISA Academy’s existing state charter to operate.
The state Education Board had the option to accept the authorizing panel’s decision or to review it by conducting its own hearing on the school plan.