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Local districts voting next week on online charter schools

West suburban school districts got answers Friday to the hundreds of questions they have about the proposed Illinois Virtual Charter School@Fox River Valley.

The school's organizers sent superintendents a 1,080-page reply explaining things about the school, which would educate children via the Internet. They would get lessons, homeroom, labs and meetings with other students remotely. Each student would need a “learning coach,” typically a parent or guardian, to keep them on task.

Illinois Virtual Learning proposes to hire K12 Inc. to conduct the school, which would be for children in kindergarten through 12th grade. Students would be instructed online at home.

Despite the volume of Friday's report, the information may be coming too late. Officials from several districts, including St. Charles and Naperville, are recommending their school boards deny the application.

The Wheaton Warrenville school board likewise has reached a consensus to deny the application at its Wednesday meeting, according to a memo in its meeting packet.

Many officials were peeved about the lack of answers at public hearings on the school, including one hearing in which no one showed up to make a presentation. The Batavia school district went so far as to send a memo to its online news subscribers categorizing the questions and pointing out how many a representative of the charter school was unable to answer.

School boards in Kaneland, Geneva, Indian Prairie (Naperville and Aurora), St. Charles, West Aurora and Yorkville are scheduled to vote on the matter Monday night.

Elgin Area School District U-46 board will discuss, and possibly act, on it Monday night, Sycamore schools will vote Tuesday, and the East Aurora district will vote April 15. In all, 18 school districts must vote on the proposal, including Dundee, DeKalb, Valley View, Oswego and Plainfield districts.

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Districts involved

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