Following the pandemic virtual schooling became more accessible, but it has been around for a while.
A 2015 state law requires each local board of education to adopt a policy for providing a virtual school option for eligible students in grades 9 through 12.
ACCESS virtual learning is an agreement between school districts and the Alabama State Department of Education that provides an online pathway for earning a high school diploma free of charge.
ACCESS is a statewide supplementary program that prominently offers virtual classes to meet credit requirements in districts that may not offer a course in person. As a supplementary program, this means students will remain enrolled in in-person schooling, and upon graduation will receive a diploma from the high school they attend in-person.
Enrollment in ACCESS is based on local school counselor referral.
11 districts in Alabama offer standalone virtual schools.
ALSDE reported that over 7,500 students enrolled in the standalone virtual schools in the 2023-24 year.
Jefferson County Virtual Academy of Learning is a standalone virtual program and offered to all students in Alabama Kindergarten through grade 12.
Dr. Orletta Rush, deputy superintendent with Jefferson County Board of Education, explained the program to be a more long-term virtual schooling option, and provides students with the opportunity to attend school completely online.
"This is not an avenue to suffice brick and mortar, or to get out of things that necessarily in the brick and mortar," said Rush. "It's a very strenuous programming. You have to be a very independent person to keep up your work and understand the rigor that comes along with it."
JCVAL offers tuition-free, individualized learning with regular interaction with online instructors.
Applications for JCVAL are opened twice a year at the start of each semester and parents are notified of open applications district-wide.
Students who are zoned to attend a JEFCOED school can participate in extracurricular activities at the school they are zoned to attend.