Details Emerge on Capo's New Online High School

An online public high school that allows students to take classes via the Internet but still participate in sports and other activities at their home campus is set to open next fall.

Interested families can check out the virtual doors at California Preparatory Academy’s website. The location of the physical doors through which students will meet weekly with their teachers has yet to be determined.

"The district is still exploring locations," said Marcus Walton, spokesman for the .

Capo's Board of Trustees is scheduled to hear a presentation about the new high school at its Wednesday meeting. Plans include offering University of California-approved classes and the chance to earn an associate’s degree through .

The school – which was  but has since been rechristened – was supposed to launch this year but . 

It now has a motto, “A 21st century education for 21st century learners,” and a strategic plan according a framework developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a nonprofit group.

In a staff report to trustees, the school outlined its goals and deadlines. In its first year, 2012-13, it plans to offer to ninth- and 10th-graders a curriculum in line with state and district standards. Classes for juniors and seniors will be added at a later date.

The school will emphasize “21st-century themes, such as global awareness, health literacy, economic skills, civic literacy and information, media and technology skills;” offer a family atmosphere; and conduct quarterly customer-satisfaction surveys, the report said.

Students will be able to take as many as two classes at their home high school and participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, drama and the school newspaper, according to the report.

By the school’s second year, officials plan to start the accreditation process through the Western Accreditation of Schools and Colleges, which will enable the academy to submit its curriculum to the UC and California State University systems.

Officials also hope the school will eventually accept students from outside Capistrano Unified boundaries.

The school district first  with  in San Juan Capistrano. meeting and later met with Superintendent Joseph Farley, convincing him to .

 heads the new school. Interested families can fill out an intent to enroll at the school website. 

Also on the school board's Wednesday night meeting agenda:

• Approval of environmental documents that would allow the district to move forward in building a compressed natural gas filling station in Aliso Viejo
• A new policy allowing for a
• A new program to offer Saddleback College classes at San Juan Hills High

In addition, the board will select representatives to serve on the board. Last year, the board , and replaced them with Trustees John Alpay and Lynn Hatton. because one of her educational consulting firms has done work for the Laguna Beach Unified School District.

The board meets at 7 p.m. at the district headquarters, 33122 Valle Road in San Juan Capistrano.