Public-Private Virtual-School Partnerships and Federal Flexibility for Schools during COVID-19 POLICY BRIEF

The coronavirus has altered the daily lives of families around the world. In the United States, one of the most significant changes for millions of families is that most K-12 pupils have become homeschool or virtual-school students for the foreseeable future. As of March 25, state and local officials in every state have closed some or all brick-and-mortar K-12 schools for at least two weeks, affecting approximately 55 million students. 1 More announcements about extended closures may be coming: Kansas Governor Laura Kelly was the first to close schools in the state for the remainder of the school year. 2 Educators in Kansas are turning to online instruction, as are schools around the country, facing the choice of providing virtual courses or forgoing schoolwork entirely, perhaps until the fall. Making effective partnerships with existing online schools and virtual content providers will be critical for students in the coming weeks. Furthermore, policymakers should afford district and charter schools more flexibility with existing resources so that schools can direct taxpayer spending to areas of need. Finally, the US Department of Education has issued guidance that removes regulatory barriers to schools attempting to provide online course material. Schools and districts should not be allowed to cite rules and point to obstacles that prevent any attempts at offering virtual instruction. The pandemic offers an opportunity to see just how quickly, and how extensively , public and private educators can expand virtual instruction-which may change the way society considers all of education in the future.