eLearning may finally be coming to Eastern Pulaski Schools next school year.
“We are one of the few, maybe the last, remaining local schools that has not utilized eLearning,” says Superintendent Dan Foster. “And obviously, this winter has been a little chaotic, so that kind of raised our awareness again.”
Foster says school officials explored the idea about four years ago, but a community survey at the time revealed that the technology wasn’t in place yet for all families. He says a more recent survey has gotten a better response, and now a committee has been formed to research the matter. “We have some teachers on there,” Foster explains. “We have some parents on there. We have all grade levels. I mean, we have kindergarten through high school represented. So we’re trying to get some input. We’re soliciting information from other schools to see how they’re doing things.”
But Foster says they’re also trying to make sure they’re doing what’s best for Eastern Pulaski students. “There’s a lot of things to think about, that it sounds good and it sounds like a great way to make up days, and some kind of education during a snow day prior to all the assessments that kids have to take is better than nothing. Nothing will replace a teacher in the classroom, and we all agreed to that. The entire committee agreed to that.”
The goal is to have a plan ready for the school board’s approval sometime this spring. Foster says there’s a very good chance that Eastern Pulaski students will be able to take part in eLearning next school year.
