Across the States
Homeschoolers Targeted for Virtual Charter Schools
The superintendent of Laramie County School District No. 1 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is looking into starting a virtual charter school. According to the Associated Press’s September 18 article, “Cheyenne District Seeks Virtual Charter School,” the school would serve youngsters in the district who are currently being homeschooled.
“Virtual charter schools” often sound harmless to homeschoolers and offer many attractive benefits—a free education, computer, internet access, and curriculum, all to be enjoyed from the comforts of home. However, the hidden costs outweigh these alluring benefits. Home School Legal Defense Association warns its members to beware of virtual charter schools, because the price may be higher than it appears.
When parents enroll their children in a virtual charter school, they forfeit much of their parental authority in connection with their children’s education. Although the children are at home, parents have little input concerning curriculum. For example, Wyoming Constitution Article 7 §8 prohibits charter schools from teaching any religious material whatsoever. There are often many other strict requirements, including certified teacher supervision, a fixed schedule, and state testing.
A virtual charter school is really just a small public school set up in the home. HSLDA has been contacted by families from a number of states who are seeking to disengage from these programs after they realize that the price they pay isn’t worth the “free” help. That price in terms of lost flexibility and the requirement that the public school curriculum be followed are only two of the sacrifices families make when they enroll in a full time public-school-at-home program.
Our commitment at HSLDA is to defend the right of parents to teach their children at home—free from government intervention. When the government provides what may sound like free gifts, beware, because these free gifts often come with strings attached. HSLDA does not provide services to families who enroll their children full time in government-funded schools, but we are happy to help families extract their children from such programs and become members.
HSLDA strongly encourages homeschooling families to carefully consider their decision and all its possible ramifications before enrolling their child in a virtual charter school.
— by Michael P. Donnelly
