There are too many unknowns now for Marshall County to commit to starting a virtual school.
This was the conclusion at the end of the school board’s curriculum committee’s two-hour meeting Sept. 12.

Tennessee lawmakers on July 1 authorized students to attend what am-ounts to a an online school, much in the same way, for example, Phoenix University holds college classes online.

Technology supervisor Suzanne Ingram brought Derek Ledford, her colleague from System Integrations, to tell school board members about virtual schools.

Tennessee passed the law permitting virtual schools less than six weeks before the start of school in most counties. The state board of education is to meet in October to establish rules and guidelines for virtual schools.

Why pass a law with almost no regulations in place?

Ingram had no answer, shrugging and saying, “Go figure.”

Nevertheless, Ledford pointed out, virtual schools are part of the future of education, and the next seven to 10 years will see a radical change in how instruction is delivered in grades K through 12. Post-secondary education has already embraced the virtual model in a big way. Already “a couple of hundred thousand” students are in virtual schools in 29 states, learning from more than 5,000 virtual teachers.

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