Duval Challenge Unmasks Politization of Florida Board of Education
In an astonishing move last month, the Florida Board of Education ignored the recommendation of its own Charter School Board and overruled Duval’s denial of a Florida Virtual Charter. Yesterday, Duval moved to appeal the state ruling. Writes Teresa Stepzinski in the Florida Times-Union:
The Duval County School Board will challenge the state Board of Education’s decision approving an online-only charter school’s application to open in Jacksonville.
The School Board told its attorney Thursday to appeal the state board’s approval of Northeast Florida Virtual Charter School Board Inc. to Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal.
School Board Vice Chairman Fel Lee said the issue is bigger than just this one virtual charter school. It’s the principle, said Lee, emphasizing that the board wasn’t picking on the school.
“This is precedent-setting,” Lee said. “If we were not to do this appeal, what we would basically be saying is ‘we’re not going to do our vetting process.’ ”
Lee said the district applied the standards according to state statutes when it evaluated and