By Megan Kelley

Review Writer

School of Choice (SOC) was again a topic of discussion at the Lake Orion Community School’s Board of Educations workshop meeting on Feb. 24.

School of Choice students had also been discussed by board members at their Jan. 27 meeting.

Traditionally, LOCS accepts School of Choice students at a rate not to exceed 10 percent of building population for non-resident students. This includes kindergarten through eighth grades and Learning Options.

During the initial School of Choice presentation given by Rick Arnett, assistant superintendent of Human Resources, concerns were raised about the number of School of Choice students the district would take.

Due to the current state of the district and with COVID-19 still remaining an issue around the country, hundreds of students this year opted for the Dragon Virtual option instead of attending school in-person.

Currently, Dragon Virtual enrollment sits at 17.65 percent, or 1,179 students.

Trustee Jake Singer raised the original concern with taking too many School of Choice students and using them to fill buildings that would not be necessary without an abundance of School of Choice students.

“For example, we’ve kicked off the process of doing the new Blanche Sims, that building isn’t necessary given that we have students going into Dragon Virtual…I don’t want to ever be in a situation where ‘Oh we have to build a building because we need a place to house SOC students’…if 10 percent of our elementary students stay Dragon Virtual, do we need six elementary buildings?” Singer said.

While the district does not have to disclose the number of School of Choice students they intend to take during any given school year, the district must approve School of Choice enrollment in order to accept those students into the Lake Orion district.

The discussion on Jan. 27 ended with the approval of School of Choicewithout a percentage cap attached to it. The board planned to re-address the discussion at their Feb. 24 workshop.

At the workshop meeting, new information was provided that showed the district did have the ability to take School of Choice students for Dragon Virtual for one year but should the student wish to transfer to in-person, they would have to reapply through School of Choice.

“That’s where we’ve come to, that it would be separate. So, if a school of choice student applied, they would have to select which program they’re applying to: in-person or Dragon Virtual. And then if they get accepted, that’s their choice for the year,” Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Heidi Mercer said.

“Let’s say they choose Dragon Virtual and it just didn’t work out for them and they want to come back in-person, they would have to apply the next year and choose in-person,” Mercer said.

This option would be available for School of Choice students; however, School of Choice students who are in eighth grade will not have the ability to switch programs because SOC is not offered in grades 9-12.

Because this is a new concept this year, the district’s focus is not to create a vast virtual program through a charter school format that would then allow students outside of the ISD to take classes.

However, that did not stop the idea from being kicked around.

Though there was consideration for a resolution to the previously approved SOC proposal, the board did not make one and the SOC approval remained without a percentage cap; however, with the knowledge that SOC students would have to commit to a program for at least the full school year.