Beginning with the 2015-16 school year, the Liberty County School System will operate its own non-traditional education program with the opening of the Horizons Learning Center.
It replaces Ombudsman, a contracted alternative-education program, as the school system opted not to renew the contract after the end of the current school year.
The mission of Horizons is to provide eligible students in grades six through 12 the opportunity to experience academic success. The three avenues of Horizons — Decisions, Discovery and Destinations — are designed to serve students in need of academic, social and emotional support.
Decisions is designed to serve students who receive an alternative-education placement as a result of committing a Level IV offense in the school system, such as drugs, weapons or violence.
Destinations is designed to serve students who have been assigned a second long-term suspension by a school administrator. These students will have the opportunity to attend Horizons in lieu of the assigned out-of-school suspension of five or more school days. Academic course work will be provided as well as counseling on decision-making, self-esteem building, and social and emotional support.
Discovery will serve students who are eligible to remain in their regular classrooms but are more likely to succeed in a nontraditional educational setting. This avenue is designed to meet the needs of students who might be more successful in a smaller environment that provides support and motivation for their individual academic achievements.
“Students who are in need of an academic intervention, such as credit recovery, may be eligible to attend Horizons,” Horizons CEO Vivian Gilliard said. “These students will be able to make up credits and get back on track for graduation.”
Horizons will offer education through a blended learning approach. It will blend teacher- facilitated online instruction and face-to-face instruction that is tailored to meet the needs of the students.
“The Horizons Learning Center will provide many opportunities for our students to grow academically, socially and emotionally, and I am very excited to know that all students will continue to benefit educationally without losing valuable instructional time,” Liberty County School System Superintendent Dr. Valya S. Lee said.
For more information on Horizons, contact Gilliard at vgilliard@liberty.k12.ga.us or 912-877-2027.