Thales Academy in Tennessee is offering free online learning coursework to families in the Franklin area to help offset the government-mandated shutdown of schools considering the coronavirus, the academy announced on Wednesday.
“Our mission at Thales Academy has always been to provide the highest quality education at the lowest possible cost for as many children as possible,” said Bob Luddy, founder of Thales Academy, in a statement. “We hope by offering remote learning free of charge that Franklin area families can help their children continue to grow academically during this time and experience our strong Thales Academy curriculum firsthand.”
The free courses are offered to students ages kindergarten through fifth grade. The academy also announced that it would be offering reduced tuition at its new Thales Academy Franklin campus to offset the economic effects of the pandemic. The tuition will cost $5,300 per year, and the Franklin campus will initially offer grades kindergarten through third grade in the upcoming school year.
“Thales Academy students at our various existing campuses in North Carolina returned to their fourth quarter classes this week via remote learning,” said Rachael Bradley, Administrator, Thales Academy Franklin, in a statement. “My second grade son is benefiting from this online coursework despite our recent move to Franklin, and I realized it would be a great service to Franklin area families to offer our strong educational platform to other residents while our local schools are closed.”
Thales Academy is a college preparatory network of independent schools for students ages pre-K through 12th grade. It currently operates eight campuses across the state.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee originally closed schools in the state on March 20. He recently recommended they stay closed through April 24.
Tennessee currently has more than 5,800 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to the state’s Department of Health. The death toll in the state is 124.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected].
Photo “Thales Academy Classroom” by Thales Academy.
