Education Minnesota filed suit to shut down a for-profit online education program
Education Minnesota, the state teachers union, has filed suit against the state’s department of education to shut down a for-profit online education program certified to receive public funding. Minnesota Virtual Academy was created by Houston School District (Minn.) and K12 Inc., a Virginia-based company founded by former U.S. Education Secretary William Bennett. When the school opened in fall 2002, it enrolled 150 students. That number is now 280. The teachers union contends that the cyber-school is improperly receiving public funds because it relies on parents to provide instruction in contravention of a state law that requires teachers to be licensed by the state. State department of education officials said Minnesota Virtual Academy had complied with state law that requires a licensed teacher to “assemble and deliver” the online learning product. Hopkins and Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School Districts have also joined the union’s suit as plaintiffs. They allege that the improperly certified Houston online program is diverting funds from their own online programs. The plaintiff school districts’ programs differ from Houston’s because their teachers interact with students regularly through e-mail and chat rooms, and some classes have real-time lectures. At the Minnesota Virtual Academy, by contrast, parents receive materials from the academy through the mail and online. The school's Web site says that “responsible adults (usually parents) guide students through their daily coursework.” Students are required to complete state tests. The academy also has ten teachers available to respond to parent inquiries.
Pioneer Press
By John Welsh
Full story: http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/education/6976944.htm