- eSchool News - https://www.eschoolnews.com -

Massachusetts panel wants to set limits on virtual public schools

The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, apprehensive about a new state law that allows public schools to operate almost entirely in cyberspace, will consider imposing limits on the growth of these virtual schools, much to the dismay of supporters, reports the Boston Globe. The goal of the proposed regulations is to allow some experimentation in Massachusetts with these kinds of schools, while not allowing them to grow unfettered without knowing what works and what doesn’t, said Jeff Wulfson, an associate education commissioner. Among the proposed limits: capping enrollment at each virtual school at 500 students and requiring at least 25 percent of those students to reside in the school district that is operating the virtual school. “We’re trying to find the right balance,” Wulfson said. But some virtual-school advocates say the proposed regulations go too far in controlling growth, crippling the ability of most districts across the state to open these schools…

Click here for the full story [1]