North Las Vegas debuts ‘microschool,’ home-school options
Hundreds of children started their first day of school on Monday at North Las Vegas’ Southern Nevada Urban Micro Academy.
The program has 328 students attending one of three facilities in the city. Roughly 60 percent are in an option that supports Clark County School District distance learning, and 40 percent are in the “microschool”/home-school option, according to Public Information Officer Patrick Walker.
“We’re glad we can offer support to our residents especially our working families,” Councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown said Monday morning outside Silver Mesa Recreation Center, where students were studying inside. “We’re confident in what we set up — we put a lot of work into this.”
There are eight or nine students per classroom at Silver Mesa Recreation Center, Alexander Library and Neighborhood Recreation Center. The program can accommodate 340 children, and students can still enroll in the program.
The plan was unveiled on Aug. 11 and offers three options. The first is for parents who need their child watched while they do Clark County School District distance learning curriculum with an instructor.
The second is the “microschool” option, which students will attend classes that are similar to a regular school day. For this option, students have to withdraw from the school district and file a “Notice of Intent to Home School in Nevada,” according to an email sent by Mayor John Lee to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert.
“Students participating in this option will have access to a computer during the entire school day,” according to the email. “They will also have access to enrichment activities such as dance, yoga, DuoLingo, et cetera.”
The third provides meeting spaces for children who are home-schooled.
The facilities were examined by the Southern Nevada Health District, and students will have access to face masks and hand sanitizer, according to Walker.
Contact Alex Chhith at achhith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0290. Follow @alexchhith on Twitter.
