Massachusetts students interested in pursuing an alternative to traditional public schooling may no longer have the opportunity to do so if the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has its way.

Under the direction of Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester, the board voted to deny requests by Greenfield Public Schools to expand its current virtual school program to include grades 9-12 and Hadley Public Schools to start its own virtual middle and high school, alienating many students in the state. 

Like history has repeatedly proven (see Boston Tea Party, 2004 World Series, etc.), Bay Staters do not go down without a fight.  State Rep. Martha Walz (D), former Committee on Education chair, is leading the quest to ensure all students are given the opportunity to pursue the education of their choice, and innovation is not stifled in Massachusetts.

Walz has introduced two pieces of legislation designed to help promote virtual education in the state.  H 1960 would restrict the BESE from having the power to set any type of cap or limitation on student enrollment in public virtual schools.  The second bill, H 1090 would allow for virtual charter schools to be operated like brick-and-mortar Commonwealth Charter schools, as they would be subjected to the same application and approval process through the BESE.

"I see no reason why school districts should be precluded from operating their own virtual schools and give these students and families a choice," Walz told the News Service after testifying before the Committee on Education. "These are arbitrary limits on the number of students who can benefit from this type of education."

Rep. Walz is exactly right.  Students and families deserve a choice, and those students that choose innovative options like virtual education should not be precluded from making these choices.