By John O’Connor
StateImpact Florida
The Volusia County school district is reviewing online education provider K12 to make sure the company is using teachers who are properly certified, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
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The state is investigating K12, the nation’s largest online educator, over its alleged use of teachers without proper certification.
The county will survey parents of student who took courses through K12 to make sure the listed teacher actually taught the student. Seminole County schools conducted a similar survey earlier this year and found more than a third of parents said the teacher listed did not teach their child.
The Florida Department of Education is investigating Seminole County schools’ allegations the nation’s largest online education company is not using properly certified teachers
As StateImpact Florida and the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting told you earlier this week, emails and other documents show K12 employees asking teachers to sign off on students rosters that included students they did not teach.
One teacher was asked to sign a list of 116 students that included just seven students she taught, and objected to signing the roster.
K12 says the company uses certified teachers and that their own review of the Seminole County schools investigation shows the district conclusions were incorrect.
Nearly 200 Volusia County students took courses with K12 last year, according to the News-Journal:
Volusia officials collected information from K12 on Wednesday in which teachers were assigned to local students last school year and will survey parents to see if it matches the teachers who worked with their children, said Gary Marks, director of alternative programs, athletics and security in Volusia County.
K12 offered online classes last school year to 81 full-time virtual students in Volusia and 111 students in the district’s program for homebound and hospitalized students. It collected $530,452 for its services. The company continues to provide services this school year for full-time virtual students in kindergarten through high school, Marks said, but the district’s own Volusia Virtual School has taken over the homebound/hospital program.
K12 is holding a conference call to discuss company earnings this morning and is expected to address the investigation.
Volusia officials collected information from K12 on Wednesday in which teachers were assigned to local students last school year and will survey parents to see if it matches the teachers who worked with their children, said Gary Marks, director of alternative programs, athletics and security in Volusia County.