Online Rockcastle County program gives students learning flexibility

MOUNT VERNON, Ky. (FOX 56) — There are still several school districts at the time of writing that have not started the 2025-2026 school year.

That includes Rockcastle County schools, which go back on Monday.

While the majority of students will return to the classroom in person, several will be attending virtually through a unique program.

That program is called MyRock Online.

This school year marks the 6th year of the program, which began due to the pandemic.

Fast forward a couple of years, and district leaders like Director of Student Success Marcus Reppert said the decision to continue the virtual program was the best thing for students and families in the county.

Reppert said the world is changing and shifting to a more digital one, so they want to adapt to the times.

MyRock Online is only open to students who are in grade 6 or higher.

It’s meant to provide some flexibility for students and families who are in unique situations where in-person learning is too much of a challenge, in an environment where a student’s education will not be interrupted too much by whatever may be going on in their lives.

With that said though, Reppert said in-person should be the norm.

“We know that in-person learning is the best for all of our students, but there are situations and circumstances where we can provide a quality, virtual education for students that are in unique circumstances,” Reppert said. “I think it’s been a great benefit to some of our families, and I think it’s been a great benefit to our community, generally speaking.”

The program resets every semester, so students aren’t tied to being remote for a full school year.

Reppert said the key to the program’s success has been keeping students disciplined.

Each student is required to sign a contract before they start in the program; it’s an agreement to ensure each student puts forth maximum effort.

Throughout the semester, Reppert said they hold in-person check-ins with each student in the program.

This is to ensure kids are staying on track with their schoolwork and upholding the values of the program.

If a student is struggling, this is an opportunity for tutoring as well as various counseling services they may receive.

It’s also a chance to keep kids connected to the rest of their school community.

“They’re regularly enrolled students, and they can participate in all the things that the public schools have to offer,” Repper said. “That provides them an opportunity to stay connected to the campus, to the staff, to the teachers and to make sure that they can have a part in all of those opportunities and activities.”

Reppert also noted MyRock Online has helped students and staff when there are Non-Traditional Instruction, also known as NTI days, because while different, the infrastructure is already in place.