Few school districts check for K12 problems

John O'Connor & Trevor Aaronson:

Seminole County teacher Amy Capelle had to make a decision.

Her supervisor at the nation's largest online school, K12, asked her to sign a roster saying she'd taught 112 kids.

She'd only taught seven.

"If you see your name next to a student that might not be yours, it's because you are qualified to teach that subject, and we needed to put your name there," wrote K12 supervisor Samantha Gilormini in an e-mail.

Capelle refused, and now state officials are investigating whether K12 used improperly certified teachers and asked employees to cover it up.

Seminole County officials say this problem may reach far beyond their borders.

But many Florida school districts have no way to know whether K12 students are actually being taught by properly certified teachers, according to a review by StateImpact Florida and Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.

Ideally, all publicly funded school organizations should be managed with high expectations.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at September 20, 2012 1:31 AM
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