By Neil Corbett – Maple Ridge News
Parents of Environmental School students cheered as the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows school board passed Flex42, a new program that is designed to offer students in Grades 8 and 9 a customized education alternative to the traditional classroom.
The program was developed by Darren Rowell, the vice-principal of Riverside Centre.
School District 42 offers several flexible learning options for students from kindergarten to Grade 7. In addition to the Environmental School, there is cyber school, the Wheelhouse and Bridge, as choice classrooms.
However, once students from those programs enter high school, they had no option for a program that allows for flexible student scheduling.
“There is a demand for flexibility,” said Rowell, adding that the education ministry recommends greater flexibility in the system.
There are a variety of reasons for this demand. Some children are involved in activities such as high-level sports or dance that take them away from classes, while some have parents who take them traveling, and others simply prefer to learn independently.
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