Watauga County Schools have been selected by the North Carolina Virtual Public School as one of nine pilot districts to help develop a model for planning and implementing online learning in schools.

Participating districts were selected based on their commitment to provide resources and leadership for online instruction as well as their capacity to support virtual learning.

The initial phase of the program will focus on providing courses not currently available at Watauga High School and on providing courses needed by homebound students or students with schedule conflicts for required courses. In some cases, the program will also offer accelerated learning opportunities and additional exploratory courses for middle school students. The virtual courses will not, however, replace classroom instruction for any course currently taught in the school system. Pilot programs in Watauga and other districts could serve as a precedent for implementation elsewhere.