The Lake Elsinore Unified School District will hold a public hearing during this evening's regularly scheduled 6 p.m. board meeting to consider formation of an online charter school.

If everything falls in place, the online K-12 school is expected to open in August and would be called Southern California Online Academy, according to Mark Dennis district coordinator of community and media relations.

Getting approved as a charter school would allow the district to recruit students both inside and outside school boundaries. Charter schools are allowed to enroll students from neighboring districts and counties.

In this case, students from Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, San Diego and Orange counties could enroll and participate.

Once approved, a council would be formed to operate the online school and make recommendations to district administrators and the board. Once the charter is granted, the district could begin hiring teachers.

Teachers for the online program would be fully credentialed, and the school would meet school standards set up by the state, Dennis said.

Students and teachers would be able to communicate with one another through communication tools provided in the course delivery platform; students would also be able to communicate with each other, Dennis explained.

Additionally, the program would provide for field trips and labs where students can meet face to face. And students would find most of the same classes provided in a traditional school setting, he continued.

Even some instructional physical education classes would be offered.

In an online or virtual school, students take classes provided on an internet site. Such schools are touted by supporters as ideal for students living in remote locations, students bound to home because of health issues, athletes who are often away from the physical school setting and students needing extra credits to graduate.

Dennis said the program would be developed gradually, based on enrollment.