Epic Charter Schools announced the expansion of an initiative to help students aged 21-25 earn their high school diplomas.

The expansion to Epic's Pathways program follows the passage of Senate Bill 1307, which will provide provides a permanent funding stream from the State of Oklahoma. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt on April 26 and goes into effect July 1.

Justin Hunt, Epic’s deputy superintendent of instruction, said the program will help thousands of students across Oklahoma.

“Until recently, older students who never completed high school only had the option to get a GED, which costs money and doesn’t provide instruction-based results,” Hunt said. “This funding from the legislature means that we can offer even more Oklahomans the opportunity to get their high school diploma, access to school services and one-on-one instruction free of charge.”

The Pathways program will be virtual and comes at no cost to students. Hunt said due to the school’s mostly virtual learning environment, Epic will be able to fit older students into its one-on-one model without them ever entering a classroom.

According to guidelines set out in the new law, students applying for the Pathways program must:

1. Enroll with Epic Charter Schools and identify the period during which they were school aged and unable to attend school.
2. Provide an explanation as to why they were unable to attend school during that time, providing documentation as needed.
3. Obtain approval from Epic’s governing board, which will be granted on a case-by-case basis.

“Pathways students don’t ever set foot in a traditional classroom,” Hunt said. “They have the ability to work whenever and wherever works best for their adult schedules.”

Epic Superintendent Bart Banfield called the state funding stream a bold step that will go a long way toward helping those students who need the most help.

“Putting high school diplomas in the hands of those who, for whatever reason, have fallen behind is truly an inspiring thing to be able to do,” Banfield said. “I couldn’t be more pleased and look forward to helping even more Oklahomans achieve their dreams of graduating high school.”