Shapiro Passes Virtual School Bill

Austin, Texas -- Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-District 8, today passed Senate Bill 1788, creating a state virtual school network for the State of Texas.

"States with virtual school networks already in place have found them to be a viable means of ensuring equity-of-access for students and an effective way to provide quality teaching and courses at reasonable costs," Shapiro said, noting that Plano ISD's eSchool is one such example.

"Plano ISD has delivered a high quality education to students in Plano for many years. And the Plano eSchool has offered that same quality to students throughout the state. This virtual school network will now grant other students this same access."

Because of the size and location of many schools, students in certain areas do not have the same access to all courses offered to their peers at larger or metropolitan-area schools. This bill will help level the playing field for all students across Texas.

"Providing electronic course options to secondary students works as an alternative to traditional classroom teaching," Shapiro said, "It is particularly beneficial to students who need additional or advanced academic courses their school can't provide, who must retake certain courses for graduation, or who need increased access to courses because of physical disabilities."

Senate Bill 1788 charges the State Board of Education with establishing standards for courses on the network. Providers must be public school districts, and teachers of electronic courses must be certified. These electronic courses may be accessed by students in Texas public schools, students who live outside of the state due to military deployment, or non-public school students. All students must access the network through a public school.

This bill will also help Plano and other districts with existing virtual schools to secure the resources necessary to further expand their quality course offerings to the rest of the state.