Public School Students Assigned At-Home Schooling

In a trend that’s reportedly sweeping the country, two public schools in Alabama have included at-home schooling days into their calendar year.

According to Alabama Media Group, Jefferson County, which is the state’s second-largest district, and Mountain Brook schools are using two of their required 180 instructional days this year for electronic learning days. During an e-day, teachers participate in a work day at school, while students are given a day to complete assignments at home before returning to school the next day.

“E-day allows us to create opportunities to learn outside the classroom and allows teachers to have a professional development day,” said Chris Anders, a middle school principal. “Let's face it: students nowadays aren't learning the same things we learned 30 years ago.”

In Mountain Brook, where 98% of homes report having the Internet, they have built e-days into their school calendar for four years. Local business and the library help provide services to students who don’t have online access at home.

“We have to make sure we're making use of the digital resources we have available," Anders said.

In addition to these public schools in Alabama, districts in Kentucky, Ohio, and New Jersey also have used electronic learning days.