Beaufort County Schools is preparing to launch its first-ever virtual academy.

Beaufort County Virtual Academy is set to go live at any time, but school officials are first seeking feedback from the community as to any changes or ideas residents may have. The hope is to officially launch the academy in August, according to Dr. Don Phipps, BCS superintendent.

Phipps said the online program is free for students, as it is financed by the state as part of enrollment-based funding. Students must enroll in at least two courses per semester, and licensed teachers from BCS, North Carolina Virtual Public School and N.C. School of Science and Mathematics teach the courses.

Phipps said the district is focusing on high school grades at this time, and virtual academy courses available now include English I-IV, math I-III, calculus, biology, chemistry, American history, world history, foreign languages, music courses and psychology, among several others.

“In terms of the catalogs and the offerings, we’re kind of wide open,” Phipps said. “It’s nearly unlimited in terms of the things we’ve got there.”

Wendy Petteway, of BCS Career and Technical Education, said there are also opportunities for career-centered courses, such as personal finance and computer programming.

The virtual academy will start out with more computer-friendly CTE courses, Petteway said, but future partnerships may enable online students to also participate in hands-on courses, such as woodworking.

Phipps said many other counties also have launched online academies, but what he hopes will set Beaufort County apart is an emphasis on hands-on learning. As the online program grows and so do the needs of the students, more resources can be added, including a principal figure and guidance counselor, he said.

“No matter where you live, you’ve got an opportunity to meet with the counselor, to be able to meet with the person who’s in charge of the program, and then ultimately, possibly some retired teachers to provide tutorial support,” Phipps explained.

Parents would also be able to monitor their children’s progress and communicate with instructors, according to Paul Huggins, instructional technology coordinator.

The virtual academy is meant to serve as another option for students who tend to thrive in independent learning sessions, and it will also benefit the school district as a whole, Phipps said.

“They really have to be committed to doing it. It’s not for every student,” he said. “Our school system spends about $60,000 a year on providing textbooks for students who take the Career and College Promise courses, so if you’re a high school student, and you’re taking classes with the community college, the state picks up the tab on tuition, and we’ve been picking up the tab for the books, so there’s a tremendous savings for families as far as that goes.”

For more information about Beaufort County Virtual Academy or to provide feedback, call 252-946-6593.