Parents to State Board of Education: Put Interests of Students First

Virtual Education Work Group Is Considering Policy Recommendations For Virtual Schools 

The National Coalition for Public School Options (PSO) released the following statement ahead of today’s Indiana State Board of Education Meeting where the full board will vote on policy recommendations made by the Virtual Education Work Group. The Work Group has been meeting over the last year to better understand the state’s virtual charter schools.

PSO president Tillie Elvrum presented recommendations to the Work Group earlier this year on ways to improve the state’s virtual schools while also ensuring they remain accessible to every Indiana students who want to attend school online.

STATEMENT FROM TILLIE ELVRUM, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL COALITION FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL OPTIONS:

“Parents are watching closely today as the Indiana State Board of Education looks to adopt policy recommendations about Indiana’s virtual schools. We urge the board to ensure any new policies adopted guarantee fair and equitable funding for virtual school students, do not limit access to these schools through arbitrary enrollment caps, and provide these schools the autonomy to meet the needs of their students and not force them into one-size-fits-all authorizing. Additionally, we support policies that will help to improve these schools like mandatory on-boarding and accountability systems that focus on individual students. Every Indiana family deserves access to a full menu of school choice options, including virtual education.”