Oswego School District Applies for Attendance Waiver for Students In Online Courses

Students in Community Unit School District 308 may soon have more flexibility in taking online courses from home or designated district facilities, according to the district.

After a July 14 public hearing, the Oswego School District 308 Board of Education approved an application for a state waiver from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for average daily attendance and online learning. A portion of the district’s General State Aid (GSA) is based on average daily attendance. The waiver would allow the district to count students taking courses online for state aid purposes, and would be one of the first of its kind.
 
“It would allow School District 308 to provide the flexibility with online learning that charter schools with online learning currently provide,” school board attorney Maureen Lemon said in a press release. “Currently, the school district is limited in the number of hours that students can be learning in an online capacity by their GSA funding formula.”
 
If the waiver is approved, it would be in place for five years, beginning with the 2015-16 school year. The district already offers health, consumer education, environmental science, and contemporary American literature. The waiver would allow the district to expand its current online offerings and permit students to take up to 40 percent of their courses through a virtual education platform.
 
“The waiver would provide more flexibility to students taking several online courses along with traditional coursework, without penalizing the district,” said Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Dr. Judith Minor.
 
The district will submit its application in time to meet ISBE’s Aug. 15 deadline for waiver applications. If the application is approved by ISBE, it will be submitted to the General Assembly Oct. 1. The earliest it could be approved by the General Assembly would beDec. 1.