Flex ED hoping to remain independent of Sask.’s new centralized online learning model

An online school in Saskatchewan will remain independent of a new provincial online learning system.

Parents, students and staff were all concerned that pioneering online education provider Flex ED wouldn’t be able to operate the same way during the next school year after a government announcement about consolidating online learning, but the provincial government says the school will be able to stay independent of the new model.

According to the Government of Saskatchewan, online learning for students in the province is going to be centralized for the 2023-24 school year under the management of a new Crown corporation.

The centralized approach will be free for students from kindergarten to Grade 12, who will have access to a central online learning provider. Most students using the system will come from public school divisions, the government said, “as the consolidation to a provincial online learning system will focus on public divisions only.”

Flex ED principal Ann Cook said the announcement took her “completely by surprise,” and she expressed concern that the school might not be able to operate next fall if it was forced to integrate into the new provincial model. Flex ED, Cook noted, is currently home to more than 500 students.

On Wednesday, Education Minister Dustin Duncan addressed those concerns in an interview with Gormley.

Duncan said Flex ED will not be the delivery agency for the new centralized online learning, and is not required to participate.

The minister said Flex ED will be allowed to decide whether it wants to participate in the new model, with the same option being extended to Catholic and French school divisions in the province.

“Any qualified independent school that delivers online education — Flex ED is the only one that provides that today — they will remain a separate entity,” Duncan said.

But the news isn’t quite the relief it appears to be to Cook.

The principal said the minister did not confirm that Flex ED would be exempt from applying to the ministry to continue to operate under the new centralized system, nor did Duncan confirm that the proposed system’s quality assurance framework would not apply to Flex ED.

The minister also did not confirm that Flex ED will continue to be funded as a qualified independent school next year.

Cook maintained that any changes to how Flex ED currently operates would destroy the school. She said the Ministry of Education is moving towards becoming a single provider of all kindergarten to Grade 12 online educational services.

The Luchia family

For students like Elizabeth Luchia, who is in Grade 1, the varied learning opportunities and one-on-one instruction Flex ED offers is a chance for her to work ahead and exceed her learning goals.

The personalized model works really well for the Luchia family, which moved from Melfort to Barbados in recent years.

Elizabeth Luchia at her Kindergarten celebration after receiving a year-end package with a certificate, school shirt and crafts from her teacher. (Jennifer Luchia/Submitted)

Jennifer Luchia, Elizabeth’s mom, said her husband decided to attend medical school on the Caribbean island. With that decision came the choice of where they would enrol Elizabeth, their eldest child.

With no transportation options for the public school system in Barbados, and the private schools priced out of their budget, Jennifer turned to another option that would offer her family the flexibility it needed — Flex ED.

Jennifer said getting integrated into Flex ED was easy, and the ability to work on a week’s worth of assignments and lessons at a pace the family can manage is significant for them.

In the Barbados heat, Elizabeth will often spend mornings working on school and take afternoons off when the heat becomes too much for her to focus. Even with half-days working, Jennifer said Elizabeth is excelling and working ahead in several subjects. The Grade 1 student is reading currently at a Grade 4 level.

“Just to keep up with that and keep up with reading, her teacher will spend half an hour every two weeks or so … just to do reading with her,” Jennifer explained. “I don’t necessarily know she would get that kind of attention in a regular school setting.”

Elizabeth can also choose what work she’ll focus on each day. Jennifer said there might be days where her daughter would prefer to work on science over math. If so, she can choose one subject for the present and leave the other to be worked on later in the week.

While Jennifer might not have thought about an unconventional online school option for her children before the pandemic, she said they love having Elizabeth in the program now and want to keep her enrolled even after they move back to Canada in the coming months.

She said she’d also like to enrol her younger daughter, Adele, in Flex ED when she reaches school age.

With their moving date looming, Jennifer said she knows she doesn’t have to worry about Elizabeth falling behind in her studies because they’re able to work ahead leading up to their transition period.

“If she was in a regular school setting, she would probably be behind in schoolwork,” Jennifer said.

Elizabeth said she loves to see her classmates during their 45-minute online group times twice a week.

“She gets to talk to them before class starts and it’s really cute; they all talk together,” Jennifer said.

Flex ED has also helped Elizabeth enjoy school.

“I like to learn a lot,” Elizabeth said, adding she loves her teachers. “They tell stories to our class and my teacher loves my pictures.”

“She does really well at it, and she likes it, and I want her to keep trying to like school,” Jennifer shared.

The cumulative online time Elizabeth participates in is no more than a few hours each week. Jennifer said she was concerned that a centralized online schooling system would have her young daughter spending much more time in front of a screen each day.

“That’s a lot for a kid to take,” Jennifer said. “That’s what I’m comfortable with for her right now and I don’t really want to change it.”

The Herzog family

Liam Herzog also depends on opportunities to work ahead, and the one-on-one learning focus has given the 11-year-old a chance to delve more deeply into the topics that are of interest to him.

His mom, Carmen Herzog, who is also a teacher with Flex ED, said her son’s cancer diagnosis a year ago meant that when his Grade 6 class started studying cells, Liam wanted to go deeper to better understand his Ewing Sarcoma diagnosis.

Like the Luchia family, the Herzog family relies on the adaptability that Flex ED affords them as they continue with treatments and surgeries for Liam’s disease. Carmen’s husband also works a week-on, week-off schedule up north.

“We needed something that was going to be flexible for us,” Carmen said.

There are many days when Liam is too sick to be in a traditional classroom and even having him at home with synchronous online learning would mean Liam would likely fall behind in his studies because his body and treatments simply cannot abide by a traditional schedule right now.

With Flex ED, Liam can participate online when he feels well enough. If not, he can take days off as necessary and catch up or work ahead when possible.

“If he has a good day, then we can burn through a lot of material in a day. But let’s say the next day is not so well. Maybe he’s not going to complete anything. Well, we won’t get to that,” Carmen explained.

The school lets their family complete each week’s worth of material at their own pace while keeping step with what the expectations are for the provincial curriculum.

Liam is able to complete reading when he is laying down at home, or listen to passages he needs to if he doesn’t feel well enough.

“He loves being able to work at his own pace,” Carmen said.

Recently, Carman and Liam had to travel to Toronto for a major surgery.

“You can imagine how difficult it would be to have cancer and be 11 years old in Grade 6 at the height of your middle years, wanting to connect,” Carmen said.

His mom said that hasn’t been something he’s missed out on with Flex ED.

“For him to be able to have that consistently with his class where he can meet online with them … he can not only create friendships with them, but he can maintain them throughout this entire ordeal,” Carmen said.

Liam can also join clubs — like a LEGO club — where he can connect with his classmates online and occasionally in person just to play together. Carmen said the experience is socially and emotionally healthy, and always uplifting.

“A lot of kids with cancer, they miss an entire school year,” Carmen said. “Cancer will will not take away his schooling because of Flex ED.”

As a mom and teacher, Carmen said she also appreciates the parent involvement and total transparency that Flex ED provides. She said she feels supported by the school in her son’s learning.

“You know everything that they’re learning, and you know the entire curriculum is being covered,” she shared.

Cook emphasized that this issue and the school’s concerns are far from over.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an amended version of this story, with updated information.