Online learning would become a requirement for graduation in schools across Georgia under a bill passed Thursday by the Senate, despite objections from some lawmakers who said it chipped away at local control.
Starting next year, Senate Bill 289 would require school systems to allow all students access to online instruction from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Ninth-grade students starting in 2014 would have to take at least one online course before graduation, according to SB 289. The bill would also require schools to give all end-of-course assessments online starting in 2015.
Schools could use private online education providers, courses offered online by other public systems or by colleges as well as the Georgia Virtual School, which is run by the state Department of Education. Districts would have to pay the department as much as $250 per student for tuition, materials and fees if a course is taken through its virtual school.
Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, said the cost was cheaper than the roughly $650 per student now paid. Rogers, who sponsored the bill, called it a "win-win-win" for taxpayers, school systems and students.
Others, however, wondered how rural areas with still-limited access to the Internet would fare. Opponents also wondered about the quality and cost of private providers.
Rogers said the state already provides schools a list of providers approved to offer virtual education programs. Students can currently take online courses voluntarily.
"The core question is whether or not we should be mandating to local systems ... to local schools ... to local schools that they should offer online courses," said Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta. "What this is is a mandate to take away local control."
The bill passed on a 36-15 vote. It now goes to the House for consideration.
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