Home school kids don't usually have a lot of options when it comes to online curricula. In the past, they only had the Florida Virtual School to go to, but that's based in Tallahassee.
“That’s what’s exciting for me about Alachua eSchool is that it really brings it local and hires local teachers," says local home school advocate Sunshine Moss.
So the county is bringing the online learning directly to home schoolers.
“Everything stays within the district," Franchise Manager Ed Stefansen smaller class sizes and then resources that we’re gonna be able to offer somewhat like the home school environment that they wouldn’t be able to get in Florida Virtual School.”
Ed Stefansen not only runs the new Alachua eSchool-- it's geared towards middle and high school kids like his son.
“Take a student who’s not organized, and you have a backpack with 6 to 7 binders in it, Alachua eSchool or Florida Virtual School curriculum actually does all that for you. So all they have to do is work through the modules and they can set their own pace, their own time.”
Sunshine Moss says the eSchool may not be the right choice for her son, but it's still good for the community.
"And with the funding cuts," she says, "I know that a lot of teachers have been misplaced and are either out of jobs or working out of field within the county.”
Students can be dual-enrolled, meaning they can still take classes at their local middle or high school in addition to their online courses. But for those strictly online students, Alachua eSchool offers a high school diploma.
If you're interested in enrolling your child, you can get more information here: http://www.sbac.edu/~alae/