Do you know your student can access virtual education?
According to a Missouri law signed into effect last summer, every public school student in Missouri has the right to take virtual education courses at no cost to them or their family.
Courses can be taken in the format of a single course that is not offered by their local district, like an advanced placement course or foreign language course, or a full-time program of virtual courses which allow the student to take the classes at their own pace from the comfort and safety of their own home.
But how many Missouri students and parents actually know about the options this great program offers?
According to state law EVERY district and charter school in the state is supposed to be actively working to make sure their students know about these options. The law states that: “Availability of the program shall be made clear in the parent handbook, registration documents, and featured on the home page of the school district or charter school’s website.”
Sadly that does not seem to be happening, meaning that many students may miss out on this opportunity.
A quick review of the home pages of the school districts in the St. Louis City/County region shows that not a singe district is featuring the ability for students to access virtual education on their home page.
Of the 23 district homepages visited (see the full district-by-district breakdown below) only four provided any information about virtual education on their homepage and that was just a single text link to either “MOCAP” (short for Missouri Course Access Program) or “Virtual Learning” with no description of what is offered — a far cry from the law’s requirement to feature virtual education on their home page.
Four other districts seem to be trying to comply with the law by doing even less and simply burying a link to “MOCAP” or “Virtual Education” in a drop down menu.
The other 15 districts can’t even seem to do that. They provide no information on virtual education or MOCAP on either their home page or in their menu system.
It is time that school district across the state comply with a state law that has been in effect for almost a year and let their students know they have access to virtual education.
How school district websites are letting parents know about virtual education
Affton School District — Nothing about virtual education displayed on their homepage. They do provide a link to some MOCAP data through their dropdown menu under “Parent Resources.”
Bayless School District — No mention of virtual education on their homepage, but there is a link to MOCAP (with no description of what it is) under the “Parents” dropdown menu.
Brentwood School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Clayton School District — No mention of virtual education on the homepage but does provide a link to a virtual learning page through the “Curriculum” dropdown menu.
Ferguson-Florissant School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Hancock Place School District — Provides a link to a MOCAP page on the homepage, but does not describe what it is.
Hazelwood School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Jennings School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Kirkwood School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Ladue Schools — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Lindbergh Schools — Provides a link to a virtual learning page at the bottom of their homepage.
MRH School District — No mention of virtual education on the homepage but does provide a link to a virtual learning page through the “Curriculum” dropdown menu.
Mehlville School District — Provides a link to a MOCAP page on the homepage, but does not describe what it is.
Normandy Schools Collaborative — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Parkway School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Pattonville School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Ritenour School District — Provides a link to the “Missouri Course Access Program” on main navigation which takes you to a page describing the program and clearly defining how to enroll.
Riverview Gardens School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Rockwood School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
School District Of University City — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
St. Louis Public Schools — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Valley Park School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.
Webster Groves School District — No mention of virtual education or MOCAP on either the homepage or in any of the menu options.