Alisal Union School District will start its own virtual academy in the fall.

During the pandemic, teachers and students moved overnight to online learning out of necessity. But teachers and parents noticed several kids were thriving in virtual school, triggering school districts to explore it as a long-term alternative to the classroom.

Last year, Salinas City Elementary and North Monterey County Unified school districts started offering online learning for K-6 and K-12, respectively. Alisal Union School District will join them in the 2022-23 school year.

For over a year, Josh Harris, AUSD’s director of educational technology, had researched different virtual academy models.

The Alisal Virtual Academy will provide experience learning; classes will be interactive and won’t have kids just looking at a teacher on the screen. Teachers will have EGlass screens, a sophisticated touchscreen that acts like a transparent lightboard, allowing students to see the teacher facing them while writing on the “board.” Harris says it should create an effect for students to feel like they are in a classroom setting.

In addition to having a real-time interaction, students will receive learning kits that could include Legos, paper, craft sticks, and more for projects. Students will have monthly meetings to interact with each other in person.

Teachers will work from an AUSD facility instead of working from home. That means parents will be able to come to campus and speak with them. “One of the frustrations during remote [learning] was they couldn’t come and talk to the teacher,” Harris says. “This is going to fix that.”

Over 100 students have registered for Alisal Virtual Academy so far.

In its first year, Salinas City Virtual Academy had high demand. “We had 13 classrooms, which far exceeded what we originally planned,” says Principal Erika Tumminelli.