North Carolina Parents Voice Disappointment in State's Failure
to Support School Options For Students in Need
ARLINGTON, VA - After the North Carolina State Board of Education used its muscle to maintain its status quo and prevent the opening of the state's first virtual public school, parents expressed their severe disappointment in the failure of education bureaucrats to recognize the individual needs of students.
Lauren Bumgardner, a member of the North Carolina State Chapter of Publicschooloptions.org, made the following statement on behalf of families after the Wake County Superior Court issued a ruling in support of the School Board's action to prevent the opening of the state's first virtual public charter school.
"North Carolina was finally catching up to states across the country and close to home, including Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and South Carolina, who have been offering this innovative learning model to thousands of students who are learning and succeeding. North Carolina's education leaders think they know better than parents what is right for each student, and are holding the state back from doing what is fair and right for the state's future generations." said Bumgardner.
"We will continue to raise our voices in support of school options and a promising future for every student in North Carolina." concluded Bumgardner.
On June 27, the chair of the South Carolina chapter of Publicschooloptions.org, parent Beth Purcell, issued a statement on behalf of parents nationwide in support of North Carolina families and their right to choose.
"As a coalition of parents, students, and teachers from across the country united to expand choice and access to public charter schools, we support the families of North Carolina who simply want the benefit of educational options. In recent years, North Carolina has made great strides in answering the demand for public charter schools. The Cabarrus County Board of Education should be commended for recognizing the benefits of this innovative learning option. Every child learns differently, and adding one more option for families to the public school menu will only promote student success and help strengthen the future of North Carolina.
"The state school board's actions to halt the progress of this virtual charter school indicates that it is satisfied with the current education in North Carolina and the status quo, benefiting the bureaucrats while denying thousands of students an alternative learning option and the opportunity to reach their potential. We fully recognize that this learning model is not the right fit for every student, but for those that want it and need it, online learning can mean a vital difference to student achievement. North Carolina should not compromise a student's future or a parent's right to choose the very best educational option for a child for fear of change. North Carolina has been late to adopt the emerging education option while thousands of students across the country, including nearby states like South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee, are growing and thriving because of innovative virtual public charter schools."
