Florida DOE to superintendents: Don’t deter students from Florida Virtual School

Sherri Ackerman:

After months of reports that some Florida public schools are limiting or denying students access to Florida Virtual School, the state’s chancellor of public schools is putting districts on notice.
“School districts may not limit student access to courses offered through the FLVS,” Pam Stewart wrote in a recent memo to superintendents. “Since the Florida Legislature passed legislation in 2013 that impacts the funding of school districts and FLVS will receive, it is important that you remember the statutory requirements.”
As redefinED has noted, the new funding formula has left fewer state dollars for both districts and FLVS and resulted in an unintended consequence: a dramatic drop in enrollment for Florida Virtual, the nation’s largest provider of online classes. Some districts immediately started steering students away from FLVS, while at least a few charter schools told students they would have to pay for FLVS courses.