Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)

Lampert Smith: Virtual school was real solution

December 16, 2007

The schools are virtual, but the children learning from them are very real.

And, sometimes, real kids have real problems.

Brennan Fredericks, 16, had big problems in middle school. His parents, Dan and Donna of Black Earth, said his former school did little to protect him from bullies. He has life-threatening food allergies and, his mother said, other kids would throw peanut butter sandwiches at him and taunt him.

"He 'd sit all alone at a table labeled peanut ' and get picked on, " Donna Fredericks said.

It got so bad that the thought of going to school made him ill.

After home schooling their son through much of eighth grade, the family was delighted to find the Monroe Virtual High School, a charter school run out of the Monroe School District.

To fulfill high school requirements, Brennan can choose between high school and college courses, which arrive with books and online homework. When it 's time to take exams, a teacher from the Monroe school drives to Black Earth and administers the test at the local library.

It has worked well for a kid who struggled in regular school.

"I don 't know what we would have done without them, " said Dan Fredericks.

Sadly, they may find out.

On Dec. 5, a state appeals court ruled that one of the state 's virtual schools broke state law because it allowed parents to act as teachers without the license required of all public school teachers. It also said the school violated a law requiring charter schools to be in the district that operates them.

If the Supreme Court passes on the case, the ruling could shut down all 12 virtual schools and their 3,000-some students.

No surprise, the suit was brought by the state teachers' union.

There are all kinds of ironies.

For one, no one bothered the Frederickses when they were home schooling their son and really were his sole teachers.

For another, his teacher, Jeff Schaal, and all of the other teachers at the Monroe Virtual School are licensed and dues-paying members of the Wisconsin Education Association, which brought the suit.

So are the teachers at the Wisconsin Virtual Academy, the school that was the subject of the suit.

Rose Fernandez, the mother of four virtual school students, said the union opposes virtual schools because "this is a way of having a teacher handle more students, and the union just can 't abide that. "

Last year, a bill to straighten out the questions about virtual schools passed both houses of the Legislature, only to be vetoed by Gov. Jim Doyle.

"Hundreds of calls from our parents didn’t matter, " said Fernandez, president of the Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Parents. "The one call he got from WEAC, his biggest campaign supporter, mattered. "

Maybe there are some problems with the current system, but the union and governor owe it to our children to solve them quickly.

What about those ads that proclaim that every child deserves a great school?

The union and the governor are taking this great school option away from children like Brennan.

Contact Susan Lampert Smith at ssmith@madison.com

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/column/index.php?ntid=262446&ntpid=1

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Your Opinions:  VIRTUAL SCHOOLS
December 11, 2007

Parents' options should be protected
There they go again. Members of the teachers union are standing up, beating their collective chests and loudly proclaiming, "We are teachers. Hear us roar! We are smarter than parents!" ("Ruling threatens online school," Dec. 6).

Doesn't the Wisconsin Education Association Council have anything better to do with its time and money than to sue a virtual school that by all accounts is succeeding?

My children were home-schooled prior to enrolling in Wisconsin iQ Academies, a virtual high school in Waukesha County, and I couldn't me more pleased with the quality of education they have received. My two sons have graduated and are in college, and my daughter is now a senior heading for college.

The teachers do teach and reach out to the students to make sure they are succeeding. The online lectures are fascinating, and I enjoy doing the lessons with her and answering her questions. Her teachers do the lesson plans, grade her tests and papers and give valuable feedback.

If it is necessary to change Wisconsin laws to protect parent's choices, then let's contact our state representatives to get that done. Parents should stand up for their right to choose the education for their children and not let WEAC's ego and greed determine education in Wisconsin.

Cheryl Berdan
Wauwatosa

***
Parents deserve choice
I send a heartfelt thank you for the Journal Sentinel's continuing coverage on virtual education in the state. It is a choice that all parents should have with the backing of the government. To close a great public school would be a tragedy.

Please keep up the support.

Amy Brandemuehl
Lancaster

***
Online schools offer good alternative
One of my three children attends an online school, and the others attend traditional public schools. While my son is often on his computer working, he does not seek any more help in his school work from me than his siblings do. So the question in the Dec. 7 editorial about "even if parents do most of the teaching" does not apply to my family ("A blow to innovation"). All of my children get help from my wife and me whether they ask for it or not. All we have to do is look at their progress and report cards.

Yes, online schools should be funded. They are a very good alternative for students who are too busy outside of school to deal with the nonsense that often presents itself in a public classroom, which is the case with my son. It is also important for the students who are physically unable to attend school any longer and even for those who 1have run out of options for their education because of behavioral issues.

Online education should be embraced and encouraged.

Michael Warren
Milwaukee

Read more:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=695753
 
 
 
Green Bay Press Gazette (WI)
Online school ruled illegal, worrying local parents

By Kelly McBride
December 15, 2007
Some area parents are worried about their children’s future education after a state appellate court ruled last week that an online state charter school was illegal.

The 2nd District Court of Appeals in Waukesha ruled the Wisconsin Virtual Academy has violated state law by allowing parents to take on the duties of state-licensed teachers, among other infractions. Thirty-five students who live in Brown County attend the online academy.

School officials say they’ll be able to finish out the year, but parents like Green Bay’s Carol Casimir are worried their kids won’t have that option for 2008-09.

Casimir’s sons, kindergartener Daniel and second-grader Evan, attend Wisconsin Virtual Academy. Eighth-grade daughter Erin goes to Green Bay’s Red Smith School, while eldest daughter Dora is in ninth grade at iQ Academies, a virtual high school.

Online education has worked well for the family for the past few years, Casimir said.

“They put the child academically where they’re at,” she said. “It’s a great fit for kids who are struggling or are ahead of the game. … This was a great option for us.”

Read more:
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071213/GPG0101/71213116/1207/GPGnews
 

 
Burnett County Sentinel (WI)
'It will be business as usual'
Insight School of Wisconsin doesn’t see last week’s court decision as a detriment.

Todd Beckmann
Sentinel News Editor
December 12, 2007

In a ruling that could affect the state's burgeoning virtual school movement, the District 2 Court of Appeals determined last week that an online school based in Ozaukee County violates several state laws and should be denied millions of dollars in state funds.

The decision resonates here because Grantsburg is home to Insight School of Wisconsin, and while Insight officials are keeping an eye on the matter they are not overly alarmed by the decision.

"The Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA) was sued over the way they do business," Jeff Bush, executive director of the Insight School of Wisconsin, clarified.

Since many people believe virtual schooling is the same, the Grantsburg-based online school is impacted by the decision.

Read more:
http://burnettcountysentinel.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=20&ArticleID=11041&TM=44675.09


Inter County Leader (WI)
Insight School moving forward
Priscilla Bauer 12.DEC.07

GRANTSBURG - Jeff Bush, Executive Director of Insight School of Wisconsin, told Grantsburg School Board members the Insight School is moving forward in its mission to educate kids and that is what they are going to do. Bush presented the Insight School’s quarterly progress report at the board’s meeting held at the school’s new offices at Gateway Plaza in Grantsburg Monday night.

Responding to board member’s questions about the possible impact the recent court ruling that Northern Ozaukee School District’s Wisconsin Virtual Academy violates state law, Bush told the board the Insight model was quite different from the WIVA model. Bush explained the Insight School model’s use of certified teachers monitoring students does not ask parents to assume a teaching role. The lawsuit brought against WIVA by the Wisconsin Education Association Council, state’s largest teacher’s union, contends that school violated state law controlling teacher certification by allowing parents of students to assume the duties of state-licensed teachers at the school.

Read more:
http://www.the-leader.net/print_this_story.asp?smenu=61&sdetail=8519