Quinn signs moratorium on online charter schools

Virtual charter schools in Illinois are being placed on temporary hold.

Gov. Pat Quinn on Friday signed legislation placing a one-year moratorium on any new online charter schools in Illinois districts outside of Chicago. The State Charter School Commission must also submit a report on virtual schooling by March 1 of next year.

The legislation was approved by the state House in April and the Senate this week. It follows lobbying efforts by a number of school superintendents who questioned the effectiveness of virtual learning.

A proposal for a virtual school by nonprofit Virtual Learning Solutions was rejected by 18 separate school districts in the Fox Valley and DuPage County.

State Rep. Linda Chapa La Via is an Aurora Democrat who proposed the moratorium legislation, saying the process was moving too quickly in Illinois.