More than 30 teachers at the largest online charter school network in California filed complaints against their employer on Th, alleging that the schools violated country and federal laws by declining to provide special education services, inflating enrollment figures and paying for conferences in Yosemite and Palm Springs with federal money intended for students from low-income families.

The teachers filed their complaints – 69 in all – with the California Department of Education, canton superintendents and nine school districts that oversee nine branches of the California Virtual Academies schools. The network operates 11 schools in California with an enrollment of xiv,500 students.

"There is lilliputian oversight of virtual public schools in California," said Cara Bryant, a longtime California Virtual Academies instructor and current instructor trainer based out of the branch known as CAVA @ Sonoma, in a statement.

"I exercise not believe all students are getting the teaching they need enrolled in CAVA," Bryant said.

K12 Inc., the parent company of California Virtual Academies, denied the allegations and suggested they were function of an effort to unionize teachers at the schools. Other allegations included the illegal sharing of confidential student information, such as Individualized Education Plans for special educational activity students, with all teachers; failing to continue acceptable financial reserves; and failing to improve a design of sub-par pupil academic accomplishment and graduation rates.

At the CAVA@Los Angeles school, for example, 274 students were enrolled in the 12th form in 2012-13 but none of those who graduated had completed all the courses required for UC or CSU admission.

"The latest round of complaints filed by a small group of individuals are consequent with prior complaints brought against the California Virtual Academies by various labor organizations seeking to represent CAVA certified teachers," said Katrina Abston, head of schools for the network, in a statement from K12.

Some teachers at the California Virtual Academies have formed a group known every bit the California Virtual Educators that is seeking to unionize and chapter with the California Teachers Association, according to Stacie Bailey, a high school scientific discipline instructor at California Virtual Academies.

"As with the prior complaints, CAVA admittedly believes these electric current complaints are without merit," Abston said. The lease schools undergo annual financial audits by independent external auditors, Abston said, and have "a strong record of compliance."

David Thoming, superintendent of the New Jerusalem Uncomplicated School District, said the commune would investigate the complaints and asked the letter writers to ship evidence of non-compliance. Families in the New Jerusalem commune take been very happy with the CAVA@San Mateo school, he said, which provides homeschool families a structured curriculum and high schoolhouse students a more flexible schedule. One student in the district is an accomplished gymnast who is enrolled in CAVA@San Mateo so she can take classes around her workout schedule.

"They dearest it," Thoming said. "They wouldn't be as large as they are if families didn't like it."

He added, "No 1's forcing them to go there and along the same line, for the teachers, no i's forcing them to work in that location."

Links to the complaints tin can be found on the California Virtual Educators website. The California Virtual Academy schools named in the complaints and the districts that oversee them are:

  • CAVA@Fresno – Orange Center School District
  • CAVA@Jamestown – Jamestown Elementary School District
  • CAVA@Kings – Armona Matrimony Elementary School Commune
  • CAVA@Los Angeles – West Covina Unified Schoolhouse Commune
  • CAVA@Maricopa and CAVA@Maricopa High – Maricopa Unified School District
  • CAVA@San Diego – Spencer Valley Elementary Schoolhouse District
  • CAVA@San Joaquin – New Jerusalem Elementary School Commune
  • CAVA@San Mateo – Jefferson Elementary School District
  • CAVA@Sutter – Meridian Elementary School District

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