Free Republic

You silly person, you thought that since the kids were sitting at home, glued to their COVID Chromebooks for something like three hours a day that snow days would be a thing of the past.In fact, we were assured in September by no less an authority than the thought leaders over at The New York Times that snow days – days off school, whee! – were a thing of the past because no one would have to make a perilously slippery step into a brick-and-mortar school. No school buses or their charges inside would be harmed in the making of...

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and officials in the state are at odds over a county's decision to mandate private schools to begin virtual-only learning this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic. Health officials in Montgomery County last week made the decision to keep private and parochial schools closed through October for in-person learning, arguing that having students in the classroom would present a danger to pupils and teachers as the state grapples with COVID-19. But Hogan blasted the move over the weekend, saying: "I strongly disagree with Montgomery County's decision to mandate the closure of private and parochial schools." "As long...

The Michigan House Education Committee is considering lifting the enrollment cap on the number of families that can take advantage of publicly funded cyber charter public schools. No more than 2,000 students may enroll in these schools under current law. Below is an interview with Brian Kevelin, a parent who sends his children to one of Michigan’s two cyber charter schools — Michigan Virtual Charter Academy. Why did you seek out this alternative form of public schooling? "It started out because of a safety issue that the public school did not correct. The child brought a knife to school and...

High school senior Jared Dennis wants to join the U.S. Air Force. If you look at his credentials, he would appear to be someone any branch of the military would be happy to have. He has a 3.9 grade point average while taking courses like statistics and Japanese and he plays in a regional orchestra. But when he went through the recruitment process with the Air Force, he was told he is a Tier 2 candidate because he attends an online virtual high school. Less than 1 percent of the people the Air Force accepts can be Tier 2 candidates,...

Home schooled children attend Virtual Charter School William J. Bennett, along with other leaders who are passionate about education, founded K12 in 1999. The goal was to create a world-class, traditional program in education--one that would empower parents to be effective teachers and empower students to explore the world around them thoughtfully. Chester E. Finn, Jr., is one of the nation's most knowledgeable scholars of educational excellence and opportunity. He is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and a John M. Olin Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He recently co-authored The Educated Child: A Parent's Guide From Preschool...