Barbara P. Jacoby

Cherokee Families Have Educational Choices

BY BARBARA P. JACOBY

While parents are familiar with the two current main learning options for their children — inperson learning and digital learning — Cherokee County School District (CCSD) has been a longtime leader in the broader concept of educational choice.

CCSD twice has earned national honors for its educational choice programs, which offer options for students in all grades.

Every February, CCSD opens applications for its reassignment process, which allows parents the choice to request a change from their child’s zoned school for the next school year. Parents can request reassignment for their child to any school on the open list, which includes all schools with capacity for more students. There is no fee to make this change, but school bus transportation is not provided.

As part of this process, parents can request their child attend one of the CCSD academies – either a STEM academy, or a fine arts academy.

Hasty Elementary School Fine Arts Academy and Oak Grove Elementary School Fine Arts Academy use an integrated arts approach, meaning fine and performing arts concepts and skills are embedded into core academic lessons, which were designed with support and training from nationally recognized arts education experts. Students not only receive an outstanding traditional education in English language arts, math, science and social studies, they also gain more arts knowledge and appreciation than their peers.

The program at Ball Ground Elementary School STEM Academy, Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy, Holly Springs Elementary School STEM Academy, Knox Elementary School STEM Academy, and R.M. Moore Elementary School STEM Academy follows a similar model, as STEM enhances — but does not replace — core academics. Students at these schools also participate in additional STEM learning during classes held in STEM labs, computer labs and makerspace labs, after-school activities, and through partnerships with STEM businesses.

Middle and high school parents additionally can choose to request reassignment for elective courses not offered at their child’s zoned school. Career education, fine arts and foreign language programs vary from school to school; for example, welding only is offered at Cherokee High School.

Students who would thrive on a different schedule also have choices. ACE Academy is CCSD’s alternative daytime middle and high school. While this program initially was designed to serve students on a long-term suspension from their zoned school, ACE also welcomes volunteers who prefer its work-atyour-own pace schedule and option for early graduation.

For many years, CCSD has offered an evening high school program with a similar move-on-when-ready schedule. That program, known as Polaris, has reopened this school year as Mountain Education Charter High School — Cherokee. Housed at the Etowah East building on the Etowah High School campus, Mountain Ed is operated by a state charter school as a partner with CCSD. Mountain Ed offers the same benefits of Polaris, including being tuition-free, but additionally provides students with services, such as a dedicated mentor and a nightly free dinner catered by local restaurants.

Educational choice also is expanding in CCSD. While the current digital learning program is a temporary option due to the pandemic, work is underway to develop a permanent CCSD Virtual Academy with plans initially to serve grades 9-12 next school year.

Barbara P. Jacoby serves as chief communications officer for the Cherokee County School District, and is a CCSD parent with four children.