Section 502 – Statewide Online Education Program created — Designated as program of the public education system — Purposes.

• (1) The Statewide Online Education Program is created to enable an eligible student to, through the completion of publicly funded online courses:
  • (a) earn high school graduation credit; or
  • (b) earn middle school credit.

• (2) Pursuant to Utah Constitution, Article X, Section 2, the Statewide Online Education Program is designated as a program of the public education system.

• (3) The purposes of an online school are to:
  • (a) provide a student with access to online learning options regardless of where the student attends school, whether a public, private, or home school;
  • (b) provide high quality learning options for a student regardless of language, residence, family income, or special needs;
  • (c) provide online learning options to allow a student to acquire the knowledge and technology skills necessary in a digital world;
  • (d) utilize the power and scalability of technology to customize education so that a student may learn in the student’s own style preference and at the student’s own pace;
  • (e) utilize technology to remove the constraints of traditional classroom learning, allowing a student to access learning virtually at any time and in any place and giving the student the flexibility to take advantage of the student’s peak learning time;
  • (f) provide personalized learning, where a student can spend as little or as much time as the student needs to master the material;
  • (g) provide greater access to self-paced programs enabling a high achieving student to accelerate academically, while a struggling student may have additional time and help to gain competency;
  • (h) allow a student to customize the student’s schedule to better meet the student’s academic goals;
  • (i) provide quality learning options to better prepare a student for post-secondary education and vocational or career opportunities; and
  • (j) allow a student to have an individualized educational experience.

• (4) The program created under this part shall be known as the “Statewide Online Education Program.”

• (5) The program name, “Statewide Online Education Program,” shall be used in the dissemination of information on the program.

Amended by Chapter 362, 2021 General Session