Hamilton County Schools wants to revamp how it educates students who have fallen behind in high school, dropped out and since returned to school or otherwise haven’t fit into a traditional high school setting.
Currently, only about 200 students participate in the district’s diploma completion program or alternative programs at Hamilton County High and a Chattanooga State Community College campus.
But school leaders say that Hamilton County High’s Harrison Bay campus is “inaccessible” and they hope to spread its programming throughout the district.
On Thursday, the school board will vote to remove the school’s state number, essentially erasing its identity as a stand-alone school that is held to the same requirements and tracked by the same metrics as other schools in the state.
Rather, school leaders discussed at a Monday night work session, the programs housed at Hamilton County High will serve as support programs at multiple locations throughout the district to serve the same student population that might not otherwise earn a high school diploma.