LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College and the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create a formal partnership that will allow the college to deliver dual credit online courses in both general education and Career & Technical Education to students at the three juvenile corrections institutions in Idaho, officials have announced.
In the partnership, LC State can offer both dual credit and online courses for high school students. Dual credit courses allow students to earn transferable college credits while concurrently fulfilling high school graduation requirements. In addition, high school graduates and those who have earned their General Education Diploma (GED) can participate in online college courses while incarcerated. Courses will start this fall on Oct. 17.
The course subjects potentially include business, heating ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC), hospitality management, technical math, communications, and culinary, with the opportunity to expand to a variety of other disciplines in the future.
“LC State takes great pride in developing innovative and effective ways to deliver education opportunities to all Idahoans,” LC State President Cynthia Pemberton said. “Like we’ve done for first-generation and non-traditional students, LC State is excited to meet students where they are and help them get to where they want to go. This exciting partnership is just another example of that.”
Students at the juvenile detention centers in Lewiston, Nampa and St. Anthony will have access to the courses, which will be taught by LC State instructors. Students in the Lewiston facility will be able to participate in dual credit hybrid courses that allow LC State instructors to teach lab portions at the Juvenile Corrections Center, located south of the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport.
The high school students will be able to utilize Fast Forward funding to pay for the courses. In addition, the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections will supplement paying for student’s textbooks and any supplies or tools needed.
The agreement is part of LC State’s efforts to expand CTE dual credit opportunities to Region II high school students. The agreement came about because of limited opportunities for these students during COVID-19. Officials at the Lewiston Juvenile Corrections Center reached out to the college about the possibility to help students with career skills during their incarceration.
“We are so excited to be able to form this partnership with LCSC,” said Shanna Decker, instructor specialist, lead teacher with IDJC “We firmly believe that every tool we can give our students helps to ensure brighter futures for them and their success in the community. The CTE staff have been such a positive resource for our students over the last year, and we look forward to continuing our work with them on this new endeavor.”
The agreement is for three years and can be renewed if both parties agree.
“IDJC appreciates the hard work of Elizabeth Weldy [LC State’s transition coordinator, CTE Advanced Opportunities] and Shanna Decker in creating this opportunity for the students at all three of our facilities,” said Cindy Orr, education program director for IDJC. “We appreciate this collaborative effort to provide our students dual credit courses that are similar to those provided in public schools.”
LC State offers dual enrollment courses to 18 north central Idaho and four southeast Washington high schools ranging from accounting to Spanish.
To learn more about LC State’s online/in-person dual credit courses that start on Aug. 23, visit the college’s dual credit courses website or contact Weldy at either 208-792-2167 or [email protected].