Central Unified offers new home school option for students

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Central Unified is giving parents the chance to take the lead in their child's education.

Long before schools knew they'd be starting the fall with distance learning, Central Unified was coming up with a new idea.

"We knew that coming back to the school year, there was potential we may lose 20-30% of our students just out of fear and maybe not wanting to come to school and looking for another alternative," said Central Unified Superintendent, Andrew Alvarado.

They built a new plan that puts the power in parents' hands.

"They'll get to choose their lessons weekly. The parent will be a little bit more involved in that the parent will need to make sure the student's logging on, completing their work," added Alvarado.

In Central Unified Online Homeschool, students are assigned a full schedule of courses. It's up to the parent to provide organization, structure, and the right learning environment.

"The student will still have a teacher assigned to them, but the teacher will do more of a weekly check-in," explained Alvarado.

It differs from traditional distance learning since the parents serve as the primary teacher. They are also committed for the long term.

"The distance learning students will be expected to re-enroll into their home school, and the homeschool students will stay in that program for the remainder of the semester," said Alvarado.

When distance learning students head back to the classrooms, homeschool students will stick with their current set up. The online home school program is open to all Central Unified students grades k-12 with registration open through July 31st. You can register at the Districts website.