Hoping to retain current students at risk for departure, return former students and recruit new ones from across the country, Western Wayne Schools is adding hybrid and fully online options.
WWS’ board conducted a special meeting Aug. 31 to discuss that opportunity and to amend the 2026-27 calendar to add three instructional days.
Two new programs
After asking several questions, the board unanimously approved starting two new programs, the Eagle Hybrid Flex Academy and Western Wayne Virtual Academy, effective Sept. 1.
Noting WWS’ declining enrollment, new Superintendent Melissa McIntire said this program is the best way to market the district and recruit middle and high school students, and school staff worked well together to develop the programs.
WWS will receive full state per-pupil funding for hybrid students and 85% of funds for fully virtual youth. Indiana’s official enrollment count day to receive fall-semester funding is Oct. 1, adding to WWS’ urgency.
WWS officials said other schools would recruit area students for their online programs if they didn’t act quickly. For instance, Northeastern Wayne announced an online academy for grades 9-12 on Sept. 1 offering immediate enrollment.
McIntire said she consulted with WWS colleagues, including their guidance counselor, technology staff, principals and athletic director, to make sure all aspects were discussed. She also asked other superintendents about the “good, bad and ugly” of their existing online programs to avoid repeating their issues.
Lincoln Middle/High School’s hybrid academy blends online learning and in-person support with flexible scheduling. Students must take at least five of eight classes in person, report to campus each school day and follow standard attendance and school policies.
Virtual academy students fully learn from home through flexible online instruction and receive support from WWS. However, they must take mandatory proctored state tests on campus.
Both programs provide Chromebooks and allow participation in LMHS athletic programs, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities and counseling services. Hybrid students can participate in social events such as dances.
In both options, students will complete online courses through K-12 learning platform Subject.com.
Fully virtual students will work independently, but will receive remote grading, instruction and academic support from LMHS mentor teachers and counselors. McIntire said mentors will receive additional compensation, so recruitment shouldn’t be an issue.
Virtual students must log in daily and are expected to spend three to four hours each school day on coursework. They must meet structured accountability thresholds each week, including demonstrating at least 25% progress in each course, communicating with staff and completing scheduled mentor check-ins.
Both options include accredited curriculum fulfilling Indiana graduation requirements. All graduates earn a Lincoln diploma.
McIntire and LMHS Principal Melissa Zimmerman agreed that administrators and teachers would rely on their professional expertise to consider students’ academic and social skills and needs when granting or denying permission for enrollment and which courses they should take in person.
Subject.com staff touted expanded course offerings for rural students such as American Sign Language, French and Spanish, career/technical pathways, and Advanced Placement.
They noted online course rigor, such as 60 to 70% of graded materials requiring detailed answers instead of all multiple choice, and artificial intelligence is built into the platform so mentors can see if cheating is suspected.
Parents also have the right to decline their child’s request for hybrid or virtual options.
Students can request moving between the options throughout the school year if desired. Virtual school also allows students who’ve had discipline troubles to stay in the district rather than have to transfer to another.
Board member Brent Fortman asked why kids would want to take online classes. Zimmerman said society has changed, and after the pandemic, people ask where kids’ mental health issues came from.
She said in the past, students might have faced challenges but their only option was to show up at school.
Online education and work during the pandemic opened a lot of people’s eyes to what’s possible, Zimmerman said, and students who don’t like to be in large crowds or want or need flexibility around work or homeschooling now have choices for their education.
Makeup days
Indiana Department of Education didn’t approve WWS’ request for waiving the days schools were closed during the town’s immediate flooding response.
WWS missed its first three days of the school year, Aug. 12-14.
Students will now attend school on three Mondays: Jan. 4; Jan. 18 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) and Feb. 15 (Presidents Day).
McIntire said she wanted to add days onto the calendar quickly so families and employees could adjust plans. She consulted with teachers’ union members and principals, and they viewed these days as their only options. Adding days to the end of the school year isn’t feasible because of potential conflicts with final exams, graduation and sports sectionals.
A version of this article will appear in the September 9 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
