Illinois House wants new three-year virtual charter school ban

Political Editor

SPRINGFIELD - State lawmakers are moving toward a three-year moratorium on virtual charter schools like the one that tried to set up in the Fox Valley last year.

The Illinois House Thursday approved a three-year prohibition on new suburban and downstate virtual charter schools. A one-year ban that was put in place last year expired at the beginning of the month.

The proposal, from state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat, was approved by an 87-27 vote. The moratorium until the end of 2017 was proposed by the Illinois State Charter School Commission, which wants more time to develop rules for the relatively unique operations.

Supporters of charter schools argued the state shouldn't put up road blocks.

The Illinois Virtual Charter School at Fox River Valley proposed drawing students from school districts from Algonquin to Plainfield for an online curriculum. That proposal was rejected last year by each of the area school boards.