Greenville County students have a second opportunity to enroll in the full-time GCS Virtual Program. The second enrollment window for the 2021-22 GCS Virtual Program will be held from Thursday, April 1 through Friday, April 23. To register, students must be enrolled in Greenville County Schools and parents must have a BackPack account. Students who enroll after the second window closes will be placed on a waitlist and will be scheduled based on availability in the Virtual Program.
Parents who enrolled their child in the 2021-22 Virtual Program during the first round but have since changed their mind and wish to return to brick-and mortar school should contact their child’s school by Friday, April 23 to make the change.
(PLEASE NOTE: This schedule is based on an assumption the pandemic will no longer be a serious concern. If during the summer it is apparent school will open in the fall on an altered schedule or with pandemic protocols in place, and/or if vaccines are not widely available, additional windows will be made available for parents to select the Virtual Program.)
GCS has made several important changes to the Virtual Program for 2021-22. First, there will be an increased emphasis on attendance in live sessions. Students will be expected to participate in live sessions at scheduled times. Exceptions based on extenuating circumstances must be approved, in advance, by the virtual administrator. Second, parents who wish for students to return to brick and mortar instruction will be allowed to make requests. They are encouraged to make an approved transition at the end of a nine-week grading period. Third, students in the Virtual Program will be scheduled based on grade level and academic record, not by school. GCS cannot guarantee placement with other students or teachers from the home-based school. (This is a significant change for high school students, who will not be scheduled with teachers from their high schools next year.)
EXCLUSIONS: The Virtual Program will not be offered for Specialized/Magnet programs such as Charles Townes Center, Language Immersion, preschool programming or the most intensive special education services, typically referred to as self-contained programming. The majority of students with disabilities can enroll in and be served by the GCS Virtual Program for the 2021-2022 school year, because most special education services can be accessed through a virtual model. Intensive programming that is typically necessary for our students in a self-contained setting will not be offered in the GCS virtual program, but no student is prevented from registering for virtual school. An IEP team will individually consider whether services for that particular student can be provided in the virtual program without self-contained programming being offered.
Should a child have a medical condition that impacts his/her ability to attend in-person instruction, we encourage the family to speak with their child’s physician and consider applying for services though the medical homebound program. The District is committed to reviewing and considering the individual needs of each child whether through medical homebound, additional accommodations and supports in the classroom, or through other measures as decided by the IEP team.
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