§ 53A-15-1203. Statewide Online Education Program created -- Designated as program of the public education system -- Purposes.

(1) The Statewide Online Education Program is created to enable an eligible student to earn high school graduation credit through the completion of publicly funded online courses.

(2) Pursuant to Utah Constitution, Article X, Section 2, the Statewide Online Education Program is designated as a program of the public education system.

(3) The purposes of an online school are to:

(a) provide a student with access to online learning options regardless of where the student attends school, whether a public, private, or home school;

(b) provide high quality learning options for a student regardless of language, residence, family income, or special needs;

(c) provide online learning options to allow a student to acquire the knowledge and technology skills necessary in a digital world;

(d) utilize the power and scalability of technology to customize education so that a student may learn in the student's own style preference and at the student's own pace;

(e) utilize technology to remove the constraints of traditional classroom learning, allowing a student to access learning virtually at any time and in any place and giving the student the flexibility to take advantage of the student's peak learning time;

(f) provide personalized learning, where a student can spend as little or as much time as the student needs to master the material;

(g) provide greater access to self-paced programs enabling a high achieving student to accelerate academically, while a struggling student may have additional time and help to gain competency;

(h) allow a student to customize the student's schedule to better meet the student's academic goals;

(i) provide quality learning options to better prepare a student for post-secondary education and vocational or career opportunities; and

(j) allow a student to have an individualized educational experience.

Enacted by Chapter 419, 2011 General Session